


The Sky is Falling

by Chuckleshan



Series: The Sky is Falling [2]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-06
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2018-04-13 08:07:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 85,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4514388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chuckleshan/pseuds/Chuckleshan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You may be the Chancellor, but I'm in charge. Frag em op!"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Fallen Star

**Author's Note:**

> So this story came to me in the middle of the night and I found myself writing the outline at 3am. Massive thanks to Jellymankelly for turning my 3am ramblings into actual intelligible words.

Lexa watches as the light slowly filters in through the window of her sleeping quarters, casting an ethereal glow over golden hair and sun burnished skin. She leans over, covering the exposed skin of her houmon in light kisses, paying special attention to the intricate tattoo splayed over her left shoulder that marks their bond. Lexa enjoys days like these, waking with her sky princess naked and sleep warm, nestled in her arms. She never imagined she would find love again until one day it literally fell from the sky.

It's been almost three years since they found Clarke in the forest, near death. Lexa had just convened a meeting of the leaders of the Coalition when they were disrupted by the sound of startled shouting just outside the meeting lodge, followed by a huge, earth shaking crash. One of the young Floudonkru seconds had then rushed in, babbling in fear about a star falling to the earth. Immediately, Gustus, one of Lexa's most trusted military advisors had concluded that what the second witnessed was not in fact a falling star, but a failed attack by their long-time enemies, the Mountain Men. Lexa had immediately dispatched a group of scouts led by her mentor-turned-general, Anya, to investigate the site of the crash to determine what damage had been caused, and if it was truly a Maun Men weapon as Gustus suspected.

The scouts had returned hours later, carrying the limp and broken body of a young woman. As they rushed her to the healer's tent, one of the scouts explained they had found the woman at the site of the crash, trapped in a large, twisted metal box, bloody and unconscious. Seeing Clarke that first time, mangled but with a steady breathing that revealed her strong spirit had woken something in Lexa, and she knew that this beautiful girl who fell from the sky would change everything.

"I can hear your thoughts even in sleep," the blonde mumbles sleepily, before peeking one eye open, then the other and slowly leaning in to kiss Lexa's head. "What troubles you so early my love?" she asks gently.

"Nothing troubles me when I wake to you in my arms. I am simply enjoying the quiet of the morning, before duty calls me away from you," Lexa responds. She then leans in to kiss Clarke solidly on the lips, letting the blonde deepen it for a few moments before pulling back slowly, trailing kisses along her jaw.

Clarke turns her face to capture Lexa's lips again, appreciating the time she has with her wife just being Lexa and not Heda kom Trikru. "The sun has barely risen; we can afford ourselves a few more moments," she says before deepening the kiss once more, fingertips dancing down Lexa's toned back, mapping all the designs she knows by heart.

* * *

Finally as more light floods the room, they separate to get ready for the day. Like clock work, Anya is at the door just after they have both finished readying themselves.

"Morning Heda, Skai Prisa." She bows her head respectfully and receives a nod in greeting from both women. "Are you ready for today's hunt?" she asks Clarke, who is fastening her armor and checking her weapons. Anya's lips twitch with a smile, seeing her second's face already painted and noticing the black marks on Lexa's fingers.

Anya, having seen the fire in wild blue eyes, took Clarke on as her second after she had recovered from her numerous injuries. The two had become close while Anya had been in charge of interrogating Clarke about where she came from, and they both quickly realized how little Clarke remembered of her life before she fell to the earth. Just as she had surmised, the blonde took on the challenge and learned quickly. Although sometimes she let her heart rule over her head, she was resourceful and had an unexpected knowledge of healing, which came in handy out on the battlefield or during a hunt. Her ability to draw also helped with making new maps of areas they would explore during her survival training. Over time the girl became as skilled with a blade as with a piece of kohl.

Anya suspected the sky girl must have a strong spirit, not only because she survived a fall from the sky, but because she had so quickly and effortlessly garnered the commander's attention and interest even while unconscious. As if her spirit was calling out to the commander's own spirit, regardless of the shattered state of her body.

Despite opposition from a small but vocal minority of the Coalition leaders, Lexa made it her mission to spend time with the sky girl, teaching her their native tongue so as to integrate the strange newcomer amongst her people more easily. She was warned on several occasions that her new ward would be under close scrutiny, and if she should ever show signs of bringing danger to the clans, it would be on Lexa's head.

Anya was not surprised to see their bond grow stronger as the seasons changed in spite of these warnings. After months of watching Lexa survive only for the sake of her people, the general was happy to see her friend and former second finally regaining her will to truly live. She was definitely more than willing to welcome Clarke into their tribe and help Lexa with the rituals to initiate their bonding ceremony a year later. The bonding ceremony was the biggest celebration Polis had seen in a long time, with all the leaders of the Coalition present to represent their clans' support, some more willingly than others. Anya had watched with great joy as her young friend and her new wife began to build a life together in the capital city where she had watched the Commander grow.

Refocusing her mind on the present, Anya catches the blonde nodding that she is ready to depart. Bowing once more in return, she leaves the pair's private quarters to wait at the entrance of their home. Being one of Lexa's closest friends and a trusted general, she is one of a small handful of people permitted to come and go from the Commander's home as she pleases.

Lexa wraps her arms around Clarke, giving her a light kiss and squeezing the blonde to her once more before they go their separate ways. "Be careful and swift, my love. I will see you when you return."

Clarke kisses Lexa on the cheek before giving her own squeeze. "Be patient and keep your spirit right where it is. I will return to you before the sun has set," she promises, same as she does every morning. They break their hold and she steps out to meet up with Anya and the rest of the hunting party, who have gathered at the door, ready for the day ahead.

Their hunting party is a standard one, comprised of ten warriors who split off into pairs upon reaching the forest. The cold season will soon be upon them, so stocking up on meat and fur for the coming months is a necessity. Anya and Clarke have become an exceptional hunting team, tracking the animals, luring and trapping them, before moving in for the kill. Anya is often proud of how well her second has grown in her abilities, though she never says as much to the sky girl. Often instead she will tease the younger woman about 'smelling like the sky' and tromping around the forest loudly as a Pauna does, though she had long since taught Clarke to move silently as all Trikru must in order to survive.

* * *

The hunters return late in the afternoon with two big boars, a two headed deer, and a large black bear to show for their combined efforts. Once smoked, the meat their kills provide will last the city for at least a couple weeks, more if the gathering party that also left in the morning are as successful in their own hunt. Anya and Clarke both return to the capital happy with the day's work and joking around about their near misadventures, but stop when they see a messenger running full speed towards them.

He stops when he reaches them, bowing his head in deference before speaking. "Heda requires your presence in the war council." The two women look at each other, wondering what could have happened while they were away. The clans were currently at peace, choosing to join forces against their common enemy - the Mountain Men.

Both dismount their horses, handing off the reins to the messenger, and make their way to the war room. Walking in they notice the tight faces of the generals and seconds around them, looking to the commander. Her face is stoic, but Clarke notices the strain in her eyes.

Anya stands next to Gustus, somewhat dwarfed by his imposing frame, and Clarke stands next to his second, Ryder, an equally intimidating warrior, but very friendly as Clarke had come to learn in her training alongside him. He is always the first to help her in the areas she struggles and they often stand in guard duty together.

"Clarke, Anya, I trust your hunt was successful?" Lexa asks, looking first to Clarke, then Anya, and back to Clarke, her eyes lingering as if checking Clarke over for any injuries. Both give a slight nod. Clarke can see right through Lexa's aloof mask - something is stressing her and she had been worried about them, more so than usual.

"What's happening? Have one of our villages been attacked?" Anya asks looking around and noticing a warrior from one of the villages near TonDC, the strips of green and yellow fabric laced through her armor giving her away. Anya and Clarke's own ribbons of green and red identify them as part of Lexa's command.

Lexa looks around the room at her generals and their seconds, her kohl lined eyes locking on to sharp, curious blue as she speaks. "The sky has fallen once again and this time it seems to be intentional." Her words seem to suck the air out of the room, all eyes turning to Clarke.


	2. The 100

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn some more about the 100

"A half moon ago, a big metal ship fell from the sky and crashed in the forest just beyond the borders of our village." The messenger, Reza starts. "General Indra sent scouts to see what had happened. They returned with reports of people coming out of the ship, about 100 of them. From what the scouts could tell, even the oldest among them seemed no older than yourself, Heda, and he only appeared to be the leader because he had a weapon like those of the mountain."

Finally Clarke speaks up after finding her voice. "Do they pose any danger to our people?" The news of more people, possibly _her_ people coming to Earth has her reeling. She couldn't remember anything from her life in the sky, but occasionally she would have flashes and dreams about things, places and even people, but never solid memories. Maybe one of the Sky People would recognize her, or she would recognize them from her dreams and she would at last be able to get some answers about how she came to Earth.

"Other than the one with the maunon weapon, they don’t appear dangerous. They are curious and exploring, and so far unaware that they are not alone," Reza answers, looking to Clarke with sharp hazel eyes. "The scouts have heard some of them talking about going to the mountain - it seems that whoever sent them gave them the order to go there, but we do not know for what purpose."

"If one already has a mountain weapon and they seem to have some kind of technology, they could align themselves with the mountain and would then pose a danger to the Coalition," Gustus interjects, giving the Commander a pointed look. As Commander of the Twelve Clans, Lexa has become the main target of the mountain’s fury. She was the entire reason the clans had been amenable to working together; without her presence he knew the twelve tribes would turn on each other and no longer be a threat to the Mountain Men. "Especially if like Skai Prisa,they do not need to wear the special suits the Mountain Men wear to leave the stronghold; they could be used as warriors." Gustus' words receives agreements and uncomfortable murmurs between the generals in the room.

"I have already sent messengers to alert the leaders of the other clans, each tribe will be asked to send representatives to meet with us in TonDC in a moon’s time. Clarke and Anya I want you to go ahead of us to meet up with Indra," Lexa explains, casting her eyes to her mentor and her wife.

It's not a decision easily made but she knows they will protect each other. In the time since Clarke has joined them, the bond formed between her and Anya had only grown, beyond that of a first and their second. The two of them work well together.

Clarke steps forward, drawing the attention of the meeting to herself, and turns to address Reza again. “What sort of fortifications have they made?”

Reza smiles slightly, betraying her amusement. “None, Skai Prisa. They are like babes, new to their own legs and only curious about the world around them, never wary of falling.”

Low chuckles rumble through the lodge, and Clarke snorts before continuing her questions. “Do they post guards or send out scouts of any kind? Do they have any other kind of defense? Weapons?”

Reza shakes her head again, not bothering this time to hide her mocking tone. “Not that we have seen. The branwadas seem all but helpless, fighting amongst themselves and constantly challenging their own leader’s authority.”

Clarke smiles absently at her fellow warriors’ amusement, the wheels in her mind already churning with this new information.

Lexa watches Clarke from across the table separating them, waiting for the thoughts she knows are whirling through her beloved’s mind to fully form. She catches Anya’s eye briefly, nodding at the quirked eyebrow her general offers. It is unusual for a second to be so vocal in a war council, but then, Clarke is no ordinary second. Bonding to the Commander has certain benefits, from time to time.

"Heda, if I may offer a suggestion?" Clarke waits till she receives acknowledgement from Lexa before laying out the thoughts that have been running through her mind as she absorbed all the information. "Based on what Reza has told us, I think it would be possible, and even fairly simple for me to infiltrate their camp and gather information about why they are here, and what their purpose is."

As much as her first instinct is to keep Clarke from any danger, Lexa knows she must treat her wife as she would any other second in this situation. Deliberately keeping Clarke from harm’s way where she would at least consider the proposal had it come from any other second might be interpreted as a sign of weakness, one Lexa couldn’t afford. Taking a breath, she considers her next move before speaking.

“What about Reza’s information leads you to believe that you would be able to insert yourself among them so easily? Inexperienced they may be, but I doubt they are completely without thought.”

Clarke balks at the gentle but firm rebuke, rolling her shoulders as if to shrug off her frustration. “They are disorganized, no leadership, no defenses, and they probably don’t know how to survive in these woods - especially with the cold season approaching. I think they would welcome one who could help, and I have the unique benefit of being one of them - or so they believe.”

Lexa freezes, clenching her jaw to keep her racing thoughts in check. The thought of Clarke, _her_ Clarke, calling herself anything but what she is, a Trikru warrior, makes her stomach turn with anger and dread. It has long been one of the Commander’s secret fears that one day Clarke’s mind would fully heal, returning her memories of who she was before she came to the Earth. Or worse, that more of Clarke’s people would come looking to take her back. It seems now that her fears were not entirely unfounded.

Clarke frowns, reading the sudden tension in the Commander’s lean frame, and wishes she could cross the space between them to take Lexa into her arms and soothe away whatever anxieties now grip her. She knows her idea is a risky one, that Lexa could turn down as a way to protect her. She hopes the Commander will see the bigger picture though and realize the opportunity this could present them. Although her face gives nothing away, Clarke can tell the moment when Lexa comes to her decision, and Clarke can only hope it will be a favorable one.

Lexa runs her thumb over the hilt of her sword, stalling as she considers her words carefully. It's something she does often when she's anxious, but knows the decision she has to make has to be in the benefit of her people and not herself. It’s a tell that Clarke has seen countless times, and it never fails to make her heart ache, knowing the burdens her wife must carry with each decision.

"Very well Skai Prisa, scout them and find your opening to join their ranks. I'm sure they will benefit from your knowledge of the ground. Make Indra aware of your plan so she can help if necessary." Clarke breathes out a quiet sigh of relief and gives the Commander a small smile. She knows they'll discuss it more in the privacy of their home, but for now she enjoys the small victory.

"Anya, Ryder, it will be your duty to keep her safe from both Sky People and Mountain Men alike, understood?" Both straighten their posture and bow their heads solemnly. "Good, then you leave at first light and when we arrive in TonDC with the other clans in a moon’s time, Ryder will report back to me."

After a few more minutes of discussion the meeting is called to a close and everyone sets off to prepare for the next day.

* * *

 

Clarke and Lexa make their way to to their home, where once they arrive, the pair immediately begin stripping themselves of armor and war paint in silence, until they are left only in the scant cover offered by their small clothes. Clarke knows Lexa needs this quiet time to process everything and work out her emotions before they can sit down and discuss it together. She knows her wife won't try to talk her out of going, but she will be worried until they can be reunited again in TonDC.

Clarke moves to her wife wrapping her arms around her from behind, kissing a path along the expanse of her bare shoulder and along her neck, sweeping her hair to one side for more access. "Will you have a bath with me?" she asks running her hands under Lexa's tank top along her sides, feeling the brunette's tense muscles relax under her familiar touch.

"Prepare it and I will join you soon." She turns and kisses Clarke's forehead, holding her by the hips. She takes her time placing slow, gentle kisses along the blonde’s face, needing to feel her close. She knows that Clarke is a skilled warrior and that she can handle herself if the need arises, but that doesn't mean she exactly likes the idea of sending her out to face the unknown. She watches Clarke pad silently from the room, suddenly nostalgic for yesterday, when they had no worries about Sky People and their strange falling ships. When Lexa’s only concern for Clarke was whether she would return from her latest foray with Anya triumphant or empty handed. Shaking herself of her morose thoughts, Lexa starts to follow the path of discarded clothing trailing to their bathing area, smiling slightly when she comes upon Clarke already nude and reclining in the steaming water. Her worries can wait for later.

* * *

 

Morning comes before either woman wants it to, and they get ready in silence, each mentally preparing for the day ahead. Clarke, once dressed in her long coat with her weapons secured, packs her bag with several types of salves and healing herbs, anticipating that some of the 100 may have sustained injuries in the landing that they may not know how to treat. Lexa silently watches her get ready as she sharpens her own sword.

A hardy breakfast is brought in for the couple by one of their attendants and they both eat slowly, trying to prolong their time together. It will be the longest they have ever been apart and Clarke can tell that no amount of reassurance on her part will set Lexa at ease.

"Anya and Ryder, will make sure nothing happens to me and you know I won't take any unnecessary risks," the blonde assures as she finishes her meal, taking Lexa's hand in her own and kissing her knuckles one by one.

"I am not worried about that, they have their duties and know the punishment they will face if they fail." The brunette sighs unhappily. "My concern is of the ghosts of your past that may come to haunt you on this journey. I know you have questions you are hoping to have answered, but what if the answers are not pleasant?" She knows Clarke can tell there is more she's not saying, insecurities even the mighty Commander of the Twelve Clans faces, things she won't voice until she's ready. Clarke understands the silent concerns and squeezes her hand, kissing her chastely as a means of reassurance.

"I will have to face them eventually, and the knowledge gained will help me as well as our people. Try not to worry so much," Clarke replies kissing Lexa softly once more. "It's almost time to leave."

Once Clarke finishes assembling the rest of her armor and Lexa dons her sword, they head out to meet the small troop of scouts who will travel back with Reza to her village. Lexa helps Clarke mount her horse and gives Anya a meaningful look. Her mentor nods, letting her know she understands the unspoken message. Lexa then turns back to Clarke giving her hand a squeeze.

"Have a safe journey and keep your spirit where it is." She uses Clarke's words and grins cheekily back when the blonde rolls her eyes, but softens it with a bright smile.

"You do the same and I will see you in a moon’s time," Clarke responds before encouraging her horse forward. Lexa watches the group as they leave the city, and once they are out of sight beyond the closed gate she turns to go find Gustus and begin making preparations for herself and her warriors to depart for TonDC.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter two. The next three chapters will probably be posted tomorrow when I have access to an actual computer. If you want to read the whole story just look it up on fanfiction.net under the same name.
> 
> Feedback is much appreciated.
> 
> Feel free to follow me on tumblr: chuckleshan.tumblr.com


	3. Lost and Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's meet the 100 and learn more about Clarke... Also see the end of the chapter for a story fun fact. Reviews are totally appreciated.

When they arrived at Indra's command post in TonDC, they found the general only too happy to lend them whatever aid they might need. She assigned her best healer and scout, Lincoln, to join their party, explaining that among her warriors he is the most familiar with the woods surrounding the location of the sky children's crash site. Anya, grateful for the assistance from her old friend and fellow general, accepted the addition to their ranks without argument. Lincoln proved his value to them immediately, leading them to the best locations from which they could begin their surveillance.

Clarke had hoped that Reza's words regarding the state of the 100 and their camp was an exaggeration born of her distrust of the foreigners, but in the week that she has been observing them she realizes Reza's initial assessment was much more accurate than she had hoped. As Reza had relayed, the sky children are unorganized, rebellious and focus very little of their energy on actual survival tactics. She is surprised that they have managed to make it this long on Earth.

The one claiming to be the leader, Bellamy, is more preoccupied with keeping his sister, Octavia, out of harm's way than leading his people. Another one named Wells, who walks with a limp, continually tries to inspire the others into action and progress towards the mountain, but he is clearly not respected. The small group that has aligned with him are the only ones who actually show any interest in making forward progress, yet they are obviously afraid to leave the group on their own.

On their first day of surveillance, Clarke and Ryder had looked on as Octavia and one of the guards her brother had assigned to her slipped away to find a nearby butterfly den. She and the boy had snuck off for their tryst in the woods without sparing a single thought for what dangers might await them out there. Despite that, Clarke can see that Octavia is brave, curious, and energetic, and if she could focus all of her rebellious spirit, she has the potential to become a formidable warrior.

Anya keeps a close eye on Raven, who is continuously tinkering with small bits of metal and parts of the ship. The general doesn't bother to hide the fact that she feels the slender brunette may be the most dangerous of the Sky People, despite her size. She is proven right when Raven creates a small explosive device, which she then uses to catch fish by blowing them out of the water. The general is disgusted with their loud, destructive, ineffective methods. By age eleven she had made her first kill in a hunt using only a bow and arrow. She can still remember the days and weeks spent in the forest, no matter the weather, learning how to track her prey undetected, setting traps that would not disturb or destroy the land that provided for the animals, which in turn would provide for her people. All the sky child's explosives do is cause destruction and scare off other animals that may be in the area, possibly forever. Each retreating creature a lost opportunity for her people's continued survival.

Lincoln is tasked with watching Bellamy and those that follow him. As warriors go, Lincoln is unimpressed by the young leader. Bellamy uses his age, size, and weapons to impose his authority over the others, rather than actual skill or intelligence. His complete lack of leadership abilities is highlighted even more by his choice of personal guard. The one appointed to watch over his sister completely disrespects him by laying with the girl and his chosen second, Murphy, is only brave with a gun in his hand and a crowd around him. Lincoln knows eventually the others will turn on Bellamy if he continues on this way. Once they find themselves without food, water, or warmth for long enough the celebrations will turn to full on rebellions.

Anya directs Clarke to win over Raven and Octavia once she successfully infiltrates the camp. All four of the scouts have observed the two girls growing closer and closer with every passing day, making it clear that they would have to be won over together, or not at all. Raven would be a valuable asset for the Trikru or a dangerous weapon in the hands of the Mountain Men, and Octavia would be useful both as a warrior and in keeping her brother in line.

In the days they have been watching the teens they have managed to slip into their makeshift camp undetected on multiple occasions to look around during the night, listening in to conversations, drawing up a layout of the camp, and planning the easiest way for Clarke to infiltrate the group.

* * *

 

Currently she and Anya are tracking a group of seven that have gone out to find fresh water and hunt for food, Octavia and Raven being amongst them. The group comes upon a river and stand on the bank of the rushing body of water, staring in awe.

Wells and another boy, Finn, take it upon themselves to start gathering water in canteens. Octavia on the other hand decides to strip down and jump into the water, much to the surprised appreciation of the other boys in the group staring at her, mouths agape. Raven is standing a few feet away from the group near the trees, presumably keeping a look out for any animals that she can use one of the many explosives she has strapped to her body on.

That's when Clarke notices something in her peripheral cutting through the water. She looks to Anya who mouths "river snake" to her, seconds before she hears Octavia screaming and sees her being pulled under by the creature.

"Octavia!" She hears the lanky boy with goggles call out to her, "Murphy, do something! Shoot it!" he yells to the retreating second - the only one in the group with a gun. Clarke, seeing her opportunity to infiltrate removes her jacket and with one final glance and nod to Anya she leaves her perch, diving into the water. As she approaches the creature she pulls her dagger and strikes it repeatedly, turning the water red with its blood.

The chaos on the bank of the river is replaced by a deafening silence as she comes up for air and pulls the struggling and injured girl along with her to shore. Noticing the girl's injury she rips a piece of her shirt and makes a tourniquet for her leg.

As everyone crowds around the injured girl and her rescuer, Raven sees the gigantic creature coming up onto the bank following after its prey despite its injury. She grabs one of her smaller explosives and chucks it at the slimy snake like thing, the small grenade lands in its mouth and explodes blowing its head clean off, leaving the squirming and convulsing body behind.

Everyone jumps slightly at the sound and turn around to see Raven struggling to pull the rest of the carcass out of the water. The boy with the goggles - Jasper, Clarke recalls - and his friend Monty run over to help her get it on to shore. _At least one of them has some sense_ , Clarke thinks as she finishes dressing Octavia's wound. She'll tend to it further when she gets her salves.

Finn and Wells seem to snap back to reality at the same time, "Clarke?" She hears her name from both young men in unison. "You're alive, oh my God Clarke." Finn rushes to her and drops to his knees wrapping his arms tightly around her. It takes everything within her to not stab him where he kneels, for putting his hands on her in such an intimate way without her permission.

Masking her emotions very much in the same way Lexa does, she puts her arms around Finn and squeezes him, shaking off the unexpected sense of familiarity the embrace with him brings when she hugs him back. "What are you guys doing here? How'd you even get here?" she asks putting as much curiosity and wonderment into her voice as she can. She pulls back slightly and looks around at all the shocked and relieved faces that surround her.

Finn pulls back completely, helping her to her feet as Jasper and Monty come back to help up Octavia. Wells is next to approach her, cautiously she notes, before wrapping his arms around her as well. "I thought you were dead Clarke. I'm so happy you aren't," he murmurs into her ear before he pulls back. His words almost seem to be as much for his own reassurance as they are a greeting to her.

"I'm happy I'm not either, it seems I came in handy," she notes looking at Octavia and then back to the blood stained water and shoreline. "One thing I've learned in my time down here, stay out of the water."

Wells nods as he takes in the information. "Duly noted," he looks over to where Raven and Murphy are standing, discussing how to transport the dead animal. He then looks back to Clarke before nudging Finn, who hasn't taken his eyes off of her. "Let's go help them out before Raven blows up Murphy." Finn nods but makes no actual effort to move. Wells sighs and leaves him standing there.

Clarke clears her throat feeling increasingly agitated by the stare she's receiving from the long-haired boy. "You should go help them, we need to get out of here before something bigger and deadlier comes along." Finn seems to snap back to awareness of their surroundings and nods before he reluctantly leaves Clarke's side and goes over to help the others so they can head back to camp.

Murphy eyes Clarke suspiciously then speaks up once the others have the snake securely tied to a few pieces of wood for easier transport. "I think we got what we came for and obviously more, let's head back to camp. We can continue this reunion where we aren't likely to become fish food." Clarke grits her teeth but starts to follow the group, stopping only to pick up her coat and satchel where Anya leaves them hanging from a tree branch for her to find.

* * *

Bellamy is the first to notice the new addition to the group that went out that morning. She's dressed in well worn leather boots, a long coat stopping just past her waist, and her long blonde hair tied back in an intricate series of braids, but what really catches his attention is the various hilts of daggers he can see protruding from her lean frame. He can't believe she's still alive, but there she is, Clarke Griffin in the flesh, marching confidently towards him as her eyes constantly scan her surroundings. "Clarke Griffin, is that you? I thought you died when your cell block fell to Earth?"

His words and the last name spark something in Clarke and she has a flash of a memory, another piece of the puzzle coming back. The only reason she knew her first name was because of a letter they'd found tucked away in her clothes addressed to 'Clarke' the author had signed it 'with love, dad'. Although she couldn't remember her father, she knew whatever had happened in her former life that the two were close and she kept that letter and a small bit of hope that one day they'd meet again. Now she knows her full name and her hope blossoms a bit more with this new information. She pushes her emotions to the back of her mind for later, right now she has a job to do.

"So I keep hearing, but as you can see I'm very much alive and I come bearing gifts." She says to him while pointing to the river snake that Wells, Finn, Murphy and Raven are carrying in. "Luckily for your sister as well. Do you have some kind of medical tent or a clean area so I can tend to her wounds?"

At the mention of his sister he looks past her and sees Jasper and Monty bringing her through the gates with her leg wrapped in the makeshift tourniquet. "What happened? Get her inside the ship." Even as he gives the order he moves over to take her from Jasper and Monty, shooting a cold glare at Murphy, who shrinks back at the look. Bellamy carries her into the ship himself with Clarke following along behind him.

"She decided to go for a swim and unintentionally became the bait for tonight's dinner," Clarke says as she unwraps the tourniquet tossing the fabric aside, cleaning the wound, and rubbing on a wild garlic and wormwood salve before wrapping it with a clean bandage from her satchel. Octavia's face turns slightly green as she gets a good whiff of the mixture.

"Oh gross, that smells like that time we tried crawling through one of the sewage lines to get to the cafeteria."

Clarke rolls her eyes, quietly exasperated by the younger girl's flippant attitude.

"Is she going to be alright?" Bellamy asks worriedly as he hovers above them. "I knew I shouldn't have let you go out with them, I'm going to kick Murphy's ass when I get my hands on him."

"Bell, relax I'm fine, right Clarke?" Octavia interrupts, cutting short her brother's angry ramblings.

"You're lucky, all the cuts look superficial." Clarke responds stiffly, trying to hide her annoyance at the impulsive girl. She turns her attention back to Bellamy. "If I wasn't there it could have been a lot worse, Murphy is a useless guard if he freezes up at the first sign of trouble."

"I'll deal with him later, but for now Princess, I have some questions for you." Once assured his sister had no life threatening injuries, Bellamy turns on Clarke, not noticing how her jaw tenses and her hand twitches to one of her weapons. "Obviously the fall didn't kill you and it's been about three years, so the air around here isn't poisonous. So how have you managed to last so long on your own?" Bellamy asks failing to hide the curiosity in his tone.

"By doing the exact opposite of what you all have been doing." She looks up to see his raised brow, so she continues as she stands to face him. "From what Finn tells me you guys have been here for almost three weeks, and look at this place! You're completely exposed and vulnerable to attack. There's barely enough food to feed everyone who is depending on you. I get that you're down here on your own and everything seems great, but this place isn't safe. If you want to be a leader, you need to start taking care of your people by taking charge." The self elected leader shrinks back slightly at her words. "You need to start preparing for winter, getting your food stores up. You need other weapons than just your guns, which eventually will run out of bullets, and you need to get a wall up around the area. As your sister learned today there are things out here that you want no part of," she bites out, looking him in the eyes to gauge his reaction. He has potential, but he's arrogant and scared and there's no place in this world for overconfidence or fear.

"We do have a plan, Bellamy just refuses to follow it." Octavia interjects, and her brother shoots her an annoyed look that she easily shrugs off. "It's true. Jaha said we need to go to Mount Weather - there are supplies there and at least we would have better protection from the elements there than we do out here. Is that where you've been since you got here Clarke?"

Clarke hides her grimace at the thought of what would happen to them if they do go to the mountain. "Why did Jaha send you guys here in the first place?" She deflects the question easily.

"The Ark is running out of oxygen, so why not send down a bunch of prisoners to see if the place is habitable? And if it's not at least we are the most expendable of the population," Bellamy answers bitterly, shooting her a glare. The mention of the Ark and the lack of oxygen, it draws her attention gives her another flash this time of a blonde haired man with eyes as blue as the sky on a clear day.

"How would they know you even survived the landing?" She asks cautiously, knowing she needs to tread lightly if Bellamy's demeanor is anything to go by. Her ears perk up as she hears uneven footsteps making their way in the direction of the ship entrance.

"Your mom and her team gave us bracelets with scanners in them to keep track of us and monitor our progress, but Mr. 'I'm in charge cuz I have the gun' forcefully encouraged everyone to take them off and destroy them. Now they probably think we're all dead." Clarke turns her head to the new addition to their conversation and watches as Wells scowls at Bellamy.

She could feel a headache coming on from all of this childish behavior, but knows she needs to gather as much information and remember every detail so she can pass this on to the other three watching the camp from the trees. "Well was there another step in this plan?" She asks Wells.

"Once we made it to Mount Weather, we were supposed to radio in to the Ark and let them know so that they could follow us down and start rebuilding society down here." Wells answers, still glaring at Bellamy. Clarke breathes an internal sigh of relief. Bellamy being an ineffective leader might actually work in her favor. At least for now he has bought them some time.

"It looks like that's not going to be happening for now then," she comments, moving towards the door of the drop ship, the feeling of being trapped increasing every moment she spends inside the metal box. "Did you guys start cooking that snake yet?"

"Yeah we did, it should be ready in about an hour or so." Wells says and she nods at him, taking a final look around the place and making a mental note of everything inside before stepping outside to breathe in the fresh air and calm her nerves.

* * *

"Hold up, Princess!" The moniker comes out, not in the way that Lexa affectionately refers to her as her Skai Prisa, but more like an epithet, she can feel an unexplainable anger rise within her, but she pushes it down. Whatever the reason for it she knows it must have something to do with her former life. Bellamy runs up to her catching her by the arm before she can get much further. "You still haven't answered our questions about where you've been or how you managed to survive out here. What were you even doing in this area?" She shrugs his hand off her and steps back, schooling her features into a more neutral expression.

"Like I said, out here you have to learn quickly if you want to survive. This area is good for hunting, which is what I was doing until I heard your sister scream and had to save her. Losing the boar I was chasing in the process," she states calmly, looking back to the ship as Octavia limps out, gingerly putting weight on her leg and coming over to them.

"It's going to start getting cold soon and if you guys want to survive out here, clearly you're going to need my help." She looks at him waiting for a reaction. Bellamy grits his teeth, tightening his hold on his gun. He is obviously irritated, but she can tell he knows she's right and they do need her and her knowledge.

Bellamy wants to survive down here and he needs to protect Octavia. The plan wasn't to sit around with the rest of this group or become their leader. He did what he set out to, he got on the ship, they landed, and he got the tracking bracelets off. There was no way the rest of the Ark would want to come down now if they thought everyone was dead.

Bellamy promised his mother he would always look after his sister and do what was best for her, just as he had been doing since she was born. He looks over at her now; he failed to protect her today and he couldn't let that happen again. He owed Clarke for saving her and a little help and guidance in his unwanted position couldn't hurt. If he could keep them away from Mount Weather long enough, maybe the Ark would run out of air and then they would be in the clear to build a life on the ground.

He grumbles unhappily but finally relents, "Fine, you can consult, but just remember who's in charge down here, Princess. We can start making plans in the morning, but for now let's eat." He walks away and Clarke watches him talk to Murphy and that boy Octavia was out in the woods with. They both nod and look up at her before he moves on.

She rolls her eyes knowing she would have to find a way to slip past those two in order to meet up with Anya later on.

"How's the leg feeling?" She asks Octavia who looks away from her slightly flustered at being caught staring.

"It's, uh, it's fine thanks," she stutters a bit. "Do you think maybe, you'd be able to teach me how to swim and, you know, use a weapon? It could come in handy for hunting and stuff. The meat would probably taste better without the rocket fuel from Raven's grenades."

Clarke couldn't have planned this better if she tried. "Of course I'll teach you as much as I can." she smiles and watches the girl perk up. "We can start tomorrow if you're not too sore."

"Awesome! Thanks Clarke, I promise I won't let you down. Let's grab something to eat before it's all gone," she enthuses happily before making her way over to the fire. Clarke follows along and sits on a log with her and another girl, Monroe. The two speak rather animatedly while Clarke listens and contributes when necessary to the conversation as they wait for the meat to finish cooking.

* * *

Later that night when everyone has had their fill of food and found a place to rest, Clarke pulls out a scroll and a piece of kohl from her jacket pocket and starts sketching the inside of the drop ship, making notes where needed.

She hears the deliberate crunching of dead fall too loud to have come from an animal a short distance away and slips past her guards, who had already fallen asleep, easily making her way toward the sound. She spots Ryder and then Anya a few feet away, quietly she relays all the pertinent information to them and they agree on a meeting place to drop off the layout sketches when she's completed them.

Once back inside the camp, she finds a small unoccupied space just outside the drop ship to rest, falling into a sleep filled with dreams of kind blue eyes, warning words and unexplained anger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: All the conversations in chapters 1 & 2 were in trigedasleng, this is the first chapter Clarke has spoken English. She slips back into trigedasleng during her conversation with Anya. Just in case you were wondering.


	4. Coup de Grace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to Polis!

The horns blowing in the distance announce the arrival of Caris and the Desert Clan, a contingent consisting of what looks to be at least half of the Desert Clan's warriors, all dressed in the tan and white colors representing their people, riding in on their fearsome war horses.

Although their lands are barren, the Desert People have adapted to their surroundings and bred their animals to survive in the harsh conditions as well, especially their horses. The animals can withstand the extreme heat of the days and long journey's. The horses are also their main stay of trading for anything they can't grow or find in their lands as they are a favorite amongst warriors for their traits including an ability to form a cooperative relationship with humans. The breed is good-natured, quick to learn, and willing to please. They also developed the high spirit and alertness needed in a horse used for raiding and war this combination of willingness and sensitivity requires the owners to handle their horses with competence and respect. Many a warrior has been bucked off a horse for not treating the creature with deserved respect.

Luna and Gustus join Lexa at the gates to greet the leader and her warriors as they enter the city. Caris, the tall tan skinned leader has her long blondish-brown hair braided in the traditional style of the Desert Clan with strips of white ribbon flowing through her locks indicating her position amongst her clan, her dark brown eyes glinting with mirth at the sight of her friends and fellow leaders. She easily dismounts her horse and approaches the awaiting group.

"Why can't the Sky People choose to fall out of the sky during a more pleasant season?" Caris jokes pulling away from her greeting embrace with Lexa. The two leaders had formed a strong bond during their years growing up training as seconds, often coming out of sparring sessions heavily bruised.

"It is still warmer here than it is in your lands during the nights." Lexa quips in return always appreciative of Caris' humor even in times of stress.

"That is only after the sun has given way to the moon. The days still hold more warmth than this." Caris smiles coyly. She is only a year older than Lexa so she understands the burden placed on Lexa as the head of the alliance better than most. Anytime she can get the Commander to relax and smile even if for just a moment is a small victory. She turns her attention from Lexa and greets Luna.

Luna, the leader of the Floudonkru, and Caris, leader of the Bakkru, had both sent messengers a few days after the news of the 100's landing had reached them. The messengers relayed that the two leaders would be joining Lexa and her warriors in Polis so they could set off together for TonDC. Luna's messenger had also stated that Luna had some urgent issues to discuss with the Commander.

* * *

The days since the scouts left for TonDC and before the two leaders' arrival have been filled with preparations in the capital. Lexa has managed to keep herself busy with war meetings to ensure Polis would still be protected while half of its fighting force would be traveling with her. She went on extra hunts to ensure their journey would not be slowed by the need for food, and it would also lessen the burden of the residents of TonDC who would be supporting the bulk of the force. She knows they will also eventually be required to help provide for the rest of the Coalition, who would be taking up residence in the city and surrounding villages in few weeks' time.

She is thankful to have Gustus by her side, to keep her calm and focused in those moments when all she wants to do is run off to see that her wife is okay. He helps her plot the fastest course to TonDC and reminds her that Anya and Ryder will keep Clarke safe even at the cost of their own lives if the need to do so arises.

Lexa knows with a force this big, it will take longer to get there, but all the same she is glad for the company of her two closest allies in the Coalition and their armies riding with hers as one.

* * *

The three women head to Lexa's home, where she has ordered a breakfast prepared for them. Lexa brings them up to speed as they eat. The two leaders listen intently to what has been learned so far about the Sky People, attempting to hold back amused laughs at their seeming ineptitude. Both nod along as Lexa goes over Clarke's plan and what is hoped to be achieved through her infiltration into the young group.

"Skai Prisa honors you and the Trigedakru with her bravery." Caris comments as she finishes her meal. Luna makes a noise of agreement. Lexa feels pride swell in her chest at the compliments to her houmon. They also work to soothe her worries, knowing that such accomplished warriors speak so highly of Clarke.

Turning her attention to the leader of the Boat People, Lexa brings up another worry that has been on her mind. "So, Luna, your messenger said you bring important news with you, that must be heard before our meeting in TonDC."

Luna is only two years older than Lexa and they have fought many battles side by side, both as young warriors and as the leaders of their clans. Her travels throughout the land to help build stronger trade amongst the twelve clans has gained her favor and trust with many. As a result, she has become Lexa's eyes and ears in the far reaching territories.

Luna switches over to English mindful of the attendants who are clearing the plates from their meal. "My second, who was in the Ice Nation for a trade mission trip when the news of the landing was delivered, sent word of the malcontented mumbles of the people in the north."

"What do they have to be malcontent about?" Lexa questions, though she already knows the answer. Ever since they took Clarke in, the Ice Queen, Morana, has been her most vocal adversary, and has on more than one occasion voiced the opinion that Clarke be sent off to die so that if her people ever came looking for her they wouldn't find her amongst them. It comes as no surprise to Lexa then, that the Ice Nation would be the loudest yet again in these new developments.

"Morana thinks this has all been planned by Clarke and her people and that they have come to join with the Mountain Men, using what knowledge Clarke has gained of our ways to attack and kill us all. She will be sending her general Quint to represent her at the meetings - where she wants for all of the outsiders, Clarke included, to be eradicated as a message to the Mountain." Luna finishes.

Caris has to control the urge to roll her eyes after hearing what is being said by the Ice Nation. "Morana should swallow her tongue. Her fear of the punishments for her own crimes against my people and against you, _Heda_ , keep her locked away in her palace, yet she still calls for more blood," she snarls out disgustedly. There's no love lost between the Ice Nation and the Desert Clan and it has been one of the more contentious relations within the Coalition. The irony of fire and ice being in constant conflict is not lost on the young leader.

"Regardless of how we feel personally about the Ice Queen or the way she chooses to lead her people, she is a member of the alliance and there are those that agree with her on many things and may see her plans as the easiest way to eliminate a potential ally to the _Maunon_." Lexa cuts in. She knows that if given the chance Caris will go on a rant and she would rather not have to deal with the memories such words might bring up. She needs to stay focused on the mission at hand and not the offenses of the past.

"Clarke is _Trikru_ , she has earned her place amongst our people. She may be born of the sky, but her spirit was made for the Earth. As for the Sky People, I shall reserve my judgement of them until we know more. For right now they do not seem to be much of a threat to any of us." Luna speaks evenly, her words genuine, and Lexa is grateful for her honesty. Luna is well liked and respected amongst the majority of the clans, so having her backing going into these new meetings is important.

"I agree that Clarke is one of us, but considering the Ice Nation's accusations - baseless though they may be, is it really wise to have sent her there to try and integrate with them before consulting the rest of the Coalition? It could cause an uproar amongst the supporters of the Ice Queens plans." Caris adds gently and without any hint of a challenge to her voice. She is obviously curious as to how the Commander will silence those who oppose Clarke's strategy.

"We need to know what purpose these Sky People have and Clarke is the only one that will quickly be able to garner their trust since they will not see her as an enemy but as one of their own. Once she has done this, she will convince them to align with us. As I see it, if the Sky People truly meant to start war they would not have sent down a bunch of untrained children as their first wave of attack," Lexa easily counters, having had a lot of time to ask herself the very same questions. She finds the answers much easier to believe now than she had a few days ago. She just hopes Clarke and the 100 will prove her right.

"And if they do pose a threat to our existence, I assume Anya is the contingency?" Luna asks, and a nod is all that Lexa gives in return. It's a decision she knows will make Clarke unhappy even if she understands why it had to be made. Lexa hopes it doesn't come to that, but she knows they can't afford to fight two wars against people with more advanced technology than they have. The 100 would be easy enough to vanquish if the situation calls for it, and she needs all her warriors focused on the bigger battle ahead with the Mountain Men.

Victory often stands on the back of sacrifice, and Lexa will not hesitate to sacrifice the 100 for the sake of her people. She can only hope Clarke will understand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: try as I might I couldn't find the trigedasleng name for the desert clan so I named them the Bakkru. Obviously this will be adjusted come season three if we get the tribe names.


	5. Defense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens, a slight time jump and lots of little clues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the age for people to be floated to 21 instead of 18, to be able to include Raven as part of the delinquents instead of being instantly floated since in canon she would have been 18 when the sky walker incident happened.

It's been five days since Clarke joined the 100. She is impressed by the progress they have made in that time. The wall was completed in three days using logs and large pieces of scrap metal from the drop ship. She had observed before joining the group that those who were pushing to go to Mount Weather were likely just in need of some sort of fortification and supplies to settle their complaints, and she was right. By putting them to work building up their own stronghold and gathering a stockpile of basic supplies together, she's managed to delay them for now. She just hopes she can keep them busy long enough for the Coalition to get to TonDC.

Bellamy isn't comfortable leaving the area and going towards the mountain for some secret reason, but she isn't going to question it since it works to her advantage. Bellamy listened to her advice and hand picked a team of guards, they are the only ones allowed to use the guns that he had brought down with him.

Groups had been formed based on their skills and trades back on the Ark and tasks had been assigned similar to those they had on the Ark. Two groups had set about stripping the drop ship of all unnecessary items and scrap metal, separating everything into piles of larger and smaller debris. Bellamy and his contingent dug the perimeter hole around the drop ship out towards the nearest trees so Raven, who claimed to work better alone, could set up her explosives.

A small team of builders showed off their skills by making Clarke's smoke house design come to life in perfect working order within a day. Using the smaller bits of scrap metal and sturdy pieces of wood, Raven was also able to put together some rudimentary spears for them to use on their first hunt.

Wells was the only one who had put up any resistance to her plans and kept pushing to go to the Mountain. The stubborn boy stopped his protests once he couldn't come up with an answer to Clarke's question of how he expected to make the 5 day trip it would take to get to the mountain going around the gorge that separated their current location from Mount Weather without any food, water or even a weapon to protect himself. Although he had relented after that, she knew she couldn't keep him at bay forever.

As the days pass she has even managed to start training her own group of hunter-gatherers, including Octavia, Fox, Monroe, Roma, and Harper, on how to move through the forests. Even if they still sounded like a troop of baby paunas just learning to walk, it was an improvement. She also spends time teaching them how to use their weapons to hunt their prey, letting her students familiarize themselves with the sharp implements before going on their first hunt. After a lesson in what fruits and berries were safe she felt they were ready to go and had planned a hunting trip for the next day at first light.

* * *

The sound of heavy footsteps wakes Clarke from her sleep early the next morning. She cringes in understanding of why Anya used to tell her she sounded like an unsteady Floudonkru warrior trying to find his land legs after months at sea. Clarke keeps her breathing even, gripping the hilt of the nearest dagger to her hand, waiting until the person gets closer. Once she's determined they are within striking range she spins around, springing to her feet, dagger aimed at the neck of her unsuspecting target, Finn, who immediately throws his arms in the air, the color draining from his face.

"Easy Clarke it's just me," he says nervously, backing up a bit and running one hand through his shaggy hair. "You definitely weren't such a light sleeper on the Ark," he mumbles.

"Why are you trying to sneak up on me?" Clarke asks suspiciously, letting the latter comment idle in the back of her mind for now and keeping her knife aimed at the boy. She doesn't know why, but there's something familiar about him, she felt a tug towards him from the time she and the other scouts had started observing the camp and she heard him speak. She wanted to know more about him and find out what he knew about her, but she was still not ready to let her guard down until she could get a better read on everyone in camp.

Finn stays rooted to his spot, keeping his hands up in front of him. "I just - I guess I just wanted to spend some time with you and, you know, talk without everyone else around. I didn't mean to scare you or anything. You really don't need the knife Clarke, I'm not going to hurt you, I promise." Clarke looks him over and hears the sincerity in his voice, she relaxes putting the dagger back in its sheath and sits down on the nearest log, patting the space beside her, indicating for Finn to join her. He sits down, keeping some distance between them, and Clarke is grateful for it.

Finn takes a minute to look Clarke over. Gone is the girl he had known and loved back on the Ark with the easy, carefree smile, eyes sparkling blue as the ocean that could be seen from space, hands stained with paint from her sketches of the Earth below them. Her eyes are hardened steel now, her hands look calloused, probably from hunting, and she's careful and cautious, always on alert. The attraction he felt for the girl on the Ark has somehow increased tenfold in the face of this new Clarke. Finn wonders what effect her time on the ground has had on her and what she's had to do to survive.

Clarke feels uncomfortable under his scrutiny, the way his eyes linger over her like a starving wolf looking at its first meal in ages. Her hands twitch at her sides to reach for one of her weapons. She clears her throat and clasps her hands together in her lap, _Lexa would have already run him through for his blatant staring_ , she thinks to herself. "So what is it you want to talk about?"

He looks up with a sheepish grin and a slight fluster to his cheeks. "Right, sorry it's just been so long since I've seen you and I missed you Clarke. I'm so happy you're alive and you found us. What's this place like? How's it been living down here for so long? I mean you look like you've been doing well, but it can't be that all those years of Ark survival training actually paid off?" He asks all these rapid fire questions with a nervous chuckle, and she can vaguely remember when she had been so curious about this new world around her - big, scary, and dangerous. She's grown and seen so much since those early days. Finn seems like a nice boy and she hopes he has what's needed to survive down here. She could use another ally in this group besides Octavia, even one who leers at her.

"The first time I opened my eyes and looked around I was scared. Everything I grew up knowing was just gone and I was alone. Although Ark survival training helped, the theory and the practical are two different things out here, and I never imagined I'd see anyone I knew ever again." It's the truth, she never expected to see another sky person again and now she is amongst a small village of them trying to figure out which of them she can trust. "I'm glad to have found you guys and that you're letting me stay."

"Of course Clarke, you're one of us." Those words, being labelled as one of them leaves a nasty taste in her mouth, she can't imagine herself as anything more than Trikru.

"And better to be alive on the ground than floated on your 21st birthday for the tiniest thing on the Ark," Finn continues obliviously. "I can't wait to see what all you've learned in your time down here," he enthuses as his eyes once again sweep over her frame. Before she has a chance to respond to him or warn him to keep his eyes where they belong lest she remove them, she notices movement from the open drop ship door. Octavia steps out first with an obviously still sleepy Raven rubbing her eyes following behind her. Both women come over and greet Clarke, Raven moving closer to Finn and kissing him on the lips just before Clarke turns her face to avoid interrupting their intimate moment. Clarke notes how his body goes slightly rigid when she catches his eyes but she doesn't linger on that for too long.

"Are you ready for today?" Clarke asks, turning her attention to Octavia, who seems to be bouncing in excitement at the prospect of getting to spend more time in the woods. Clarke hopes she can get the girl to control that fire and focus it to task. Anya had wished her luck when she told her mentor of her plans to train Octavia and possibly a few others to hunt and fight.

"Definitely!" she exclaims before realizing her volume at the early hour and reigning herself in at the look Clarke gives her. "Sorry. Yes, I'm so ready to be out there. This means a lot to me, Clarke. I'm finally free of all these constraints. I have a chance to be more than 'the girl who lived in the floor' and I promise I'll do my best to make you proud," the young brunette rambles excitedly. In the time Clarke has been in camp Octavia had filled her in on her life and how she was never supposed to be born. It upset Clarke to know how long this girl had spent locked away, waiting till she would be floated for the crime of merely existing. Cruel as the reasoning was for the 100 being sent down, Clarke is happy that Octavia's spirit won't be wasted and she's determined to help the girl become a warrior. With the right mentor Clarke knows Octavia will flourish.

Clarke stands up picking her jacket up and putting it on before strapping her satchel on over her shoulder. "Where's your brother?" She asks the younger girl, who scrambles up to her feet as well.

"Somewhere on the drop ship on top or under some random girl who sees him as a hero." Octavia rolls her eyes, annoyed at her brother's antics and double standards after he threatened every male in camp to keep away from her.

Clarke contains her own annoyance at the so-called leader. Lexa would already be awake long before the sun had an opportunity to fully rise and have things done before anyone else in Polis even had their first waking thought. Bellamy is reaping the benefits of his leadership without having even proven himself worthy yet, it makes her wonder if this is how things work on the Ark as well. Taking a deep breath to center her thoughts, Clarke looks around, making mental notes of everything that they need to prepare for their hunting trip. "Well we can't burn daylight waiting for him. Get the others and we'll head out into the forest to get started on tracking some animals." Octavia nods and goes off to find the rest of their team.

* * *

Clarke takes the opportunity as they make their way through the forest to point out different berries and explain which ones are poisonous and which are safe to eat and how to tell them apart. She brushes off the questions of how she knows such things with the constant reply of personal experience gained during her first year on the ground. The blonde really hopes she can keep them busy and and relatively quiet picking berries and fruit long enough so that she can hunt a few rabbits - and maybe if she's lucky and they stop shuffling so loudly, even a deer or boar to bring back to camp.

Octavia stays with Clarke trying to follow her silent footsteps, being as quiet as possible as she watches Clarke make her way through the trees. They stop suddenly when Clarke spots something and ducks down, signaling for Octavia to do the same. She points in the direction of a small herd of deer grazing in a nearby clearing. Octavia doesn't know how the blonde plans on actually killing one of them with only her daggers, but she doesn't question her merely follows Clarke's lead as she stalks closer, staying behind the tree line to keep them covered.

Once they're close enough Clarke rummages through her bag, pulling out a blow pipe and some darts, and Octavia can only watch on in wonder as the blonde aims for a decent sized deer standing a few feet away from the rest of the group before releasing the dart and hitting her mark right in the neck. It spooks and the other deer start to scatter.

"Octavia, eyes on the buck," Clarke commands reloading the pipe and aiming for one of the other moving targets. For her part, Octavia does as she's told and keeps tracking the injured deer, watching as it stumbles; she realizes the darts must be coated in some type of poison. She turns to look at Clarke who is a few feet away approaching a slightly smaller deer she had somehow managed to hit in all the chaos, watching as she expertly pulls the dart out and slits the animal's throat. She ties a length of rope she'd been carrying, around its hind legs and drags it over to the other deer and does the same to that one as well.

"Go get the others, find some logs and tie them together so we can use them to get these two ready to go back to camp." It takes a minute for Octavia to snap out of her shock induced trance, then she nods her head dumbly and makes her way back through the woods to do as she's been told.

* * *

Anya appears from the trees soon after Octavia's footsteps can no longer be heard. Clarke knows Lincoln is watching the group that is gathering berries and Ryder is following Octavia as planned the night before, so the two women would have time to discuss what they needed.

"Did you really have to pick the loudest one?" Anya quips with a raised brow and Clarke's lips curl in amusement.

"She'll get better, just give her time," she defends before pulling out the sketches she has made of what the camp looks like with the fortifications and where any explosives are located around the perimeter to ensure that none of the scouts would walk into them. "The only problem I'm running into is Wells. He is insisting that they go to the mountain. He thought better of it, realizing how far it would be without supplies, but that won't hold him in camp for long."

"If he becomes a problem I will handle it, Skai Prisa. He will be cut down before he reaches the Mountain." Anya replies as she tucks the scrolls away in her jacket pocket. Clarke doesn't want to think about having to kill any of them, but she knows if the Mountain Men get to the 100 then they will either be killed or turn on her people. She gives Anya a slight nod to indicate her agreement.

"We will need to hunt more so they can make some warmer clothing. I will keep close watch on him and those he associates with around camp." Anya nods at her seconds' words. She knows Clarke doesn't like having to make these sorts of decisions, but she's a natural leader - even if she doesn't realize it yet.

"Good, good, you're doing well with them," Anya compliments and watches as Clarke seems to relax under her words. The Sky Princess reminds her so much of a young Lexa, worried she wasn't fit to lead her people and in need of reassurance at times. "One of the TonDC scouts returned from Polis - Luna and Caris will be marching with Heda to TonDC."

Both women pick up on the loud but distant footfalls of the rest of Clarke's hunting party before anything else can be said. "It's a wonder the deer didn't startle from all that ruckus. They remind me a lot of another who fell from the sky." Anya jokes, a small teasing smile on her usually stoic face, and Clarke laughs along with her, making mental notes on how to teach them to move more silently. "We will see each other again soon." Anya heads off disappearing into the forest just as the girls come into the clearing, bags filled with berries and fruit and dragging four big logs tied together.

"Holy crap, you weren't kidding!" Harper exclaims and Clarke grimaces, hearing a distant low chuckle, which she assumes is either Ryder or Lincoln. She shoots the girl a look that effectively silences her. "Sorry," she apologizes in a much softer tone.

"It's okay, we'll work on the volume." Clarke says to her before addressing the rest of the group. "Let's get these back to camp." The women work diligently and quickly, and within a few short minutes they are ready to go. Fox, Monroe, Clarke and Octavia haul the two animals, leaving Roma and Harper carrying the bags of collected fruit and berries.

* * *

Breaking through the trees half an hour later, Clarke is proud of their pace and determination. She knows the animals and bags are heavy and that these girls aren't used to this kind of physical labor, yet none of them complain. Fox, Roma, Harper and Octavia even joke about how all the big brave men in camp will probably fall over in shock at their successful hunt, and Clarke and Monroe laugh along with them. The blonde promises to train them so they can make their own kills in the future and that she will show them how to prepare these animals and make the most use of them tonight.

Bellamy spots them as they enter, and Finn, Wells, Murphy and Jasper move to help relieve the women of the load they're carrying, each making their own comments of surprise. "Color me impressed, Princess, you can hunt," Bellamy says, looking at the haul that has been brought back. Even though it's said without malice this time, Clarke's jaw tenses and she runs her thumb over the handle of one of her dagger at the name. Octavia and the rest of the girls head off to see where they can be of help, leaving the two leaders alone.

"And you can lead," Clarke remarks, to keep herself from striking the boy. She looks around a bit more, noticing the boys carrying the bags of fruit and berries off to a sorting area that had been set up while they were away. "I didn't think you'd get this far in the few hours we were gone, but you did better than expected."

The compliment makes him swell with pride a small grin growing on his face. "I want to make it out here Clarke and so do they," he says looking around at the teens working together. "Having you around certainly makes that easier, and you were right, this is what we need. So thanks."

Clarke smiles and slaps him on the back, probably a little harder than necessary, and takes a small bit of pleasure in seeing him wince. "I'm just happy everyone is working together instead of fighting each other. How's Wells been, still trying to get to the mountain?"

She expressed her concerns to Bellamy a few days ago and found that he doesn't trust Wells either, so they have been keeping a close eye on him the last few days. She doesn't know why she herself doesn't trust Wells, but he had featured in her dreams the night before and there was always an anger surrounding him.

"I made sure to keep him busy and away from anyone he might try to manipulate into going with him, but I think you shutting him down the other day definitely let the steam out of his engine for now." He answers, looking over at the smokehouse where he assigned the boy in question to help, even if he was rather unskilled. A product of his privilege was never having to do any manual labor so Bellamy relished in making him work for once in his life.

"Good. Come on, I'll show you how to skin these deer so we can get them cooked," she offers, to which Bellamy readily accepts. It takes a while but they get the animals skinned, gutted and ready for cooking, with some set aside to be smoked, for the evening meal. She watches Bellamy as he listens to Octavia tell him about their escapades. His brows furrow in worry but he hides it well and eyes Clarke almost in relief at the happiness his sister is displaying.

It's in these quiet moments when she's not running around that she truly misses Lexa. Although she has a job to do here with these kids, it doesn't stop her from looking forward to the end of these two weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: this was the last pre-written and beta'd chapter. Chapter six is done and chapter seven is almost done. The two chapters are tied together so I'm trying to get this last one finished up to stick to the every Monday schedule. Things are going to be picking up over the next five chapters I have planned so get ready! I also have a few drabbles/one shots floating around that I may post both for this verse and outside of it.


	6. Friends or Foes pt.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You knew! You knew and you didn't tell us!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel we all could use a healthy dose of Raven in this story. Thanks to theorganicscientist for the consult on the DNA stuff. Special thanks to Jellymankelly for putting up with me and working their magic to make this chapter coherent.
> 
> Just a quick warning for a gruesome scene towards the middle of the chapter. Enjoy the read and see the end for more notes.

* * *

To become the youngest zero-G mechanic in 52 years takes a lot of skill, intelligence, logical thinking, and a whole lot of instincts. All traits that Raven Reyes possesses in abundance. Her instincts are definitely what make her good at what she does, being able to gauge each situation and calculating the risks involved. Her intuition has served her well on the Ark. It is this same shrewdness that makes her suspicious of Clarke Griffin's all too convenient reappearance, and it isn't just because she's Finn's ex-girlfriend. She doesn't believe in coincidences.

All of Raven's most cherished moments on the Ark include Finn. They grew up together and he took care of her, making sure she was fed and remembering her birthdays. She knew she was in love with him when he gave her a necklace with a handmade raven pendant, but she also knew he probably didn't reciprocate her feelings. Finn was the first boy she fell in love with and the first boy to break her heart when she found him making out with Clarke Griffin in his room the same day she found out she had been accepted to start training as a zero-G mechanic.

She had been so excited to tell him she'd gotten accepted that she had burst right into his room without knocking. She stopped cold seeing the two of them practically devouring each other. Broken hearted she ran back to her cabin and ignored the boy for weeks before he managed to charm his way back into her good graces.

Ever since that day she had to share Finn with Clarke. He was still there for Raven and celebrated the big moments, but he'd always run off to be with Clarke once her shifts at the clinic were done. Raven threw herself into her studies and worked harder than anyone in her classes just to keep herself busy; a convenient excuse to not have to be around the two of them more than necessary.

Raven had closed herself off as the couple grew closer, but then six months later complete and utter chaos broke loose when Jake Griffin was floated and Clarke Griffin arrested. Nobody openly spoke about why it happened, and try as he might, Finn wasn't allowed to see her during her lock up. He turned to Raven, and just like he'd been there for her all those years, she was there to comfort him. The day the moorings on Clarke's cell dislodged from the Ark broke Finn. They all knew nobody could survive that fall to Earth without either the right equipment or a miracle. Raven had always thought something like that could happen since the Ark used individual pods connected to the main ship as cell blocks in lieu of prison cells within the Ark itself, but of course no one had listened to her warnings when she'd tried to bring it up with the chief mechanic, Sinclair.

Gradually Raven and Finn grew close once more and she didn't let the opportunity to be with Finn slip from her grasp like she had last time. Finn ended up saving her life again by taking the blame for the illegal space walk he set up for her in an attempt to cheer her up after she'd received the devastating news that she'd failed her physical. Chief Mechanic Sinclair overruling the decision a day later was bittersweet, but Finn pushed her to move forward.

She knew she had to do something when she heard whispers from other mechanics about the plans to send the prisoners down to Earth. She had overheard several of the senior mechanics worriedly discussing the possibility of an Ark-wide failure in the oxygen filtering system, and the likelihood of the Council sending the prisoners back to Earth early to test the planet's livability should that happen. After that, it hadn't taken much to piss off the right guard a week before they shipped them off. Finn wasn't happy about her wasting her potential, but he was all she had on the Ark. Not to mention the fact that based on what she had heard, it seemed that staying pretty much guaranteed certain doom too, so why not, right? She never expected that Clarke would be alive, much less in the same place they landed.

So, Raven has spent the last two weeks observing Clarke. She just can't understand how this girl, who was so in love with Finn before her arrest isn't all over him now. Not that she's complaining. She could see that Finn is asking the same question, if the way he follows the blonde around like a lost puppy is any indication. Raven knows the other girl is hiding something and she is determined to find out what it is. How did she go from princess to survivalist Barbie.

The opportunity to dig a little deeper presents itself without much effort on Raven's part when the blonde in question appears in her makeshift workshop at the top of the drop ship. "Hey Raven, how are those traps coming along?" Clarke asks, looking around the workshop, making mental notes.

"So far so good, I used the springs from the chairs we ripped out of the drop ship so they're going to be spring loaded traps. All you gotta do is bait 'em, set 'em, and we'll be having bunny stew in no time." Raven demonstrates how to set the traps for good measure.

"Awesome, thanks Raven. You know, you should come out hunting with us some time. I think you'd be great at it." Clarke offers. She knows the mechanic can't possibly be content being stuck in a metal ship all the time.

"You know, Clarke, you can drop the act." Raven turns to face Clarke, who looks about to protest. "I appreciate that you're keeping your distance from Finn despite your past relationship, but that doesn't mean we're going to be the best of gal pals." Raven notices the look of confusion crossing Clarke's face and that's when she realizes what the girl is hiding, "You don't remember, do you?"

Clarke eyes her warily, weighing her options on how much she should tell the girl. She knows she needs Raven in her corner - the girl is an asset - but she knows she can't reveal too much. Not yet, at least. "Some parts of my former life are a bit hazy. I took a good few bumps to the head. Rough landing," she jokes dryly, "and I woke up with little memory at the time. It's been coming back slowly over the last few years, but there are still gaps," Clarke confides, hoping she's given just enough information to satisfy Raven.

* * *

Hearing panicked calls outside, neither woman has time to dwell on the revelation as they both rush to see what's happening. As soon as Bellamy spots Clarke he rushes over to her, full of fury. "You knew! You knew and you didn't tell us!" he accuses, pushing her backwards.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Clarke yells back, hand itching for a dagger.

"We aren't alone out here! They attacked us and speared Wells," Bellamy roars angrily. Clarke can see the fear in his eyes and hears the fearful gasps of the others as Wells' limp and bloody body is carried, in with the spear still in him. She notices he's still breathing, thankfully.

"What was he doing?" Her mind wanders to Anya. If he was trying to sneak off and go to Mount Weather, then she would have stuck to the plan and cut him down, but she wouldn't have been so careless as to leave evidence of her attack, and he definitely wouldn't still be alive.

"Nothing! He was collecting firewood near the edge of the woods and then all of a sudden there was a spear sticking out of his side!"

"Take him into the ship and lay him on his other side," Clarke orders. She starts to follow Finn and Murphy, who are carrying Wells in when Bellamy grabs her by the arm pulling her back to face him.

"Nobody is going anywhere until you tell us who the hell these people are and why you didn't tell us about them," he demands menacingly, and Clarke has to control her irritation with the boy.

She pulls her arm away from him and shoots him a hard glare. "Why do you think we needed the wall and the traps, Bellamy? To stop the animals from getting in?" She looks at everyone just standing around watching the scene unfold. She has to control her anger, so she takes a deep breath. "I told you the first day I got here there are far worse things than river snakes out there! You can sit here and continue this tantrum or let me go in there and save him." She shoves past him and goes into the drop, ship followed by Octavia and Raven, to check on Wells.

Clarke knows what she needs to do now is going to be unpleasant, but if Wells has any hope of surviving then she needs to work fast. "Octavia take this knife get it red hot and bring it back to me quickly. And see if you can get some of Jasper and Monty's moonshine to clean the wound." She hands Octavia one of her daggers and turns next to Raven. "I need some clean water, and wrappings." The mechanic nods and goes to grab the necessary supplies. "Finn and Murphy I'll need you to to help me get this thing out of him when Octavia comes back. We need to get it out and cauterize the wound as quickly as possible to avoid infection."

"Are you sure that's even going to work? He hasn't regained consciousness since we got back here," Murphy questions. He isn't pleased with even trying to save little Jaha.

"We at least owe it to him to try Murphy, personal issues aside," Clarke counters as Octavia and Raven come back with the needed supplies. Clarke nods for Finn and Murphy to pull the spear out as Raven holds Wells steady. Clarke pours a generous amount of the moonshine onto the wound once the spear has been pulled out. She then grabs the hilt of the knife and sticks the red hot blade onto the wound, searing both sides closed. The smell of burning flesh is sickening and Clarke is grateful Wells is unconscious throughout the entire ordeal.

Clarke grabs one of her salves, rubbing it over the wound and then wrapping the boy's midsection in bandages. Once she's satisfied with her work they lay him on his back and let him rest, everyone leaves soon after, except Clarke, who stays with her ward. She can only hope he survives the night and that the wound doesn't get infected. She finds a spot in the corner to prop herself up and wraps her coat around her torso, allowing the bone deep exhaustion from the long day to finally overtake her.

* * *

Loud coughing wakes Clarke what seems like minutes after her eyes have just closed. She feels sluggish and it takes her brain a minute to catch up to what's happening but then she remembers and she's on her feet moving to Wells. She sits him up to clear his airways.

He's burning with fever and soaked in sweat. Clarke knows it's not an infection, the tip of the spear must have been poisoned. She's unfamiliar with this part of the woods but Lincoln had told her about some of the plants in the area and their uses. If she wants to save Wells she's going to need Lincoln's help, but she knows Bellamy has extra eyes on her and it won't be easy to get out of the camp.

She tries to comes up with a plan while running a damp cloth over the boy's forehead and neck.

Octavia comes up to check on them. "Hey Clarke is everything alright? What's wrong? He doesn't look too good."

"I think the tip of the spear was laced with poison," she tells her, laying Wells back down after his cough has subsided.

"Is there anything you can do to fix it? Like an antidote?" the budding warrior asks her, face dropping as Clarke shakes her head.

"I don't know what they may have used, but I know someone who might. I just need to get to him. I doubt your brother will be letting me out of his sight anytime soon though." She sighs

"Well then I'll go, just tell me what to do and I'll get Adams to sneak me out," Octavia offers. It's not Clarke's preferred option, but it's the only one she has right now.

"Okay, but you need to hurry. Do you remember the clearing we went to for the hunt?" The girl nods, so she continues while grabbing a small horn from her bag and a dagger. "Take these, when you get there blow the horn three times. Lincoln will know the signal and respond with two blows, just tell him they were attacked by Reapers and what happened to Wells and he'll do the rest. Be careful," she instructs the young woman.

"I can do that," she says more to herself than anyone else as she takes the weapon and the horn. "I'll be back as soon as possible." Without another word she sets off.

* * *

"I'm not scared, I'm not scared." Octavia whispers the mantra she's been using since she was a child stuck in the cramped crawl space beneath the floorboards. She cuts swiftly through the forest, happy for the full moon providing enough light for her to make her way back to the clearing. Really she isn't scared of the dark after spending so much time in it, she just wants to get to her destination without coming across whatever or whoever it was that attacked Wells. She wants to show Clarke that she's more than just the girl that lived in the floor, more than Bellamy's little sister. She wants to prove to them and herself that she has what it takes to survive on Earth.

She breaks through the trees separating her from the clearing and looks around, not sure what she's expecting to find. She pulls out the horn and follows Clarke's instructions blowing it three times, waiting for the responding horn. She doesn't have to wait long before she hears the two responding blows. Her eyes dart around the canopy of trees waiting for Lincoln to appear.

She hears a heavy yet gentle male voice call out to her from somewhere hidden in the trees. "Has something happened to Clarke?" Octavia grips the weapon Clarke gave her, not sure what to expect.

"No, she's fine, but one of our people was attacked and poisoned by Reapers. Clarke sent me here to find you Lincoln to bring an antidote before it's too late." She calls out to the forest, doing her best to swallow her nerves.

"When was he hit?"

Octavia startles at the proximity of the voice and turns around to come face to face with a tall muscular figure with an intricate series of tattoos running from the side of his shaven head down the back of his shirt and multiple weapons strapped to his body.

It takes the girl a minute to regain her composure but she tells Lincoln the whole story about the boys going fishing and Wells being brought back with the spear in his right side. "Clarke did as much as she could, but he woke up with a coughing fit and looked really pale and feverish." She finishes her explanation hoping the man before her would be able to help.

"I have a few ideas of what may have been used when I see him I will know better, we need to hurry and get the antidotes and then we will go back to your camp," Lincoln responds before turning to lead them to the cave where he keeps his personal belongings. Octavia follows him wordlessly, still awestruck at meeting someone who was obviously born on Earth, her mind is brimming with questions but she has a job to do first, so she staves off the urge to blurt out everything she's thinking.

* * *

It's been an hour and a half since Octavia left and Wells is getting worse, Clarke can only hope nothing has happened to the girl and that she found Lincoln. Although Wells is troublesome she knows that the 100 will need their numbers in the days to come. Her thoughts are interrupted by a ruckus outside the drop ship and she leaves to go see what's happening. She can hear Murphy and Adams, who are on guard duty, calling for Bellamy as she rushes towards the gate with her short sword drawn just in case. Bellamy, Finn, and Raven are hot on her heels.

The four arrive at the gate to see both guards with their guns drawn. "What in the hell is going on here?" Bellamy bellows at them, annoyed he's been pulled from the arms of his latest bed companions. Clarke hopes these kids don't reproduce as quickly as the grounders or Bellamy will have a legacy of offspring before the next change of seasons.

"Bell, it's me!" Octavia calls from just beyond the gates. Clarke is both relieved that the young warrior is safe and dreading what may happen to Lincoln.

"O, what the hell are you doing outside the walls?" he calls as he moves to open the gates, glowering at his guards when they try to stop him. Bellamy pushes the gate open only to stop midway through the motion when he sees Lincoln's imposing figure next to his sister. Murphy and Adams raise their weapons, aiming directly at the warrior.

"Put your guns down, I sent her to get him. Wells has been poisoned and Lincoln is a healer and a friend," Clarke announces, stepping between the guns and Lincoln.

"He's probably the one that poisoned Wells! How can we trust him, or you for that matter, if you're associated with a grounder?" Murphy accuses, now aiming his gun directly at Clarke. She gives a signal to Lincoln to keep the warrior at bay.

Raven speaks up coming forward to stand by Clarke. "Back off Murphy, if he was the one that attacked us, he wouldn't be here now trying to help and I'm sure he'd have already killed Octavia. Obviously Clarke has some explaining to do but it'd be stupid of us to assume she's been down here alone for all this time without some help. If she trusts him then I do. You may not like Wells but he's one of us and so is Clarke. Now either you step aside and let them help him or you'll be the one needing medical attention, especially since the bullets in your guns are duds."

Clarke looks at the mechanic appreciatively who smirks proudly at her, before turning to Bellamy. "Do you really want Wells' blood on your hands?" she asks, hoping to strike a chord with him. It has its intended effect as he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, looking around at everyone in camp waiting to see what he's going to decide.

"Fine, let him in and do what you have to do. Murphy, Adams keep your eyes on them both at all times," he relents, signaling the guards to lower their weapons . "After they're done I want them brought to me, and this time Princess you will answer my questions," he threatens before stomping away. Clarke fights the urge to roll her eyes at his dramatics.

* * *

Clarke, closely followed by Raven, Octavia, and Finn, leads Lincoln into the dropship to attend to Wells. Lincoln checks the unconscious boy over, assessing his condition to try and figure out what type of poison may have been used.

"Is there anything that can be done?" Clarke asks Lincoln as she wipes Wells' face of sweat with a cloth.

"Yes I have the antidote for this type of poison, but it will take some time for him to fully recover," the warrior responds and pulls a vial out of his bag, Clarke pushes Wells up into a sitting position in order for him to ingest the liquid.

The others in the room stand by quietly, observing the pair working together to save the boy. The Ark had always taught them that grounders - if they existed - were supposed to be feral creatures without comprehension of language or capacity to learn due to the radiation, and that they'd have to be tamed and trained into civility. The sight before them of someone who was born on Earth who not only can speak and understand them, but is the only one who could save one of their own, gives them all pause to wonder what else the Ark might have been wrong about.

" _Chit hashta ripa?_ " Lincoln asks Clarke. Although the Reapers attacked far from the drop ship it doesn't mean they are safe.

" _Osir souda frag emo op ripa,_ " Clarke responds, trying to come up with a plan. She knows they need to move fast and get to them before they retreat back to the tunnels near Mount Weather. " _Oso souda lok emo op fou emo jomp op nodotaim, ai gaf in chich op Onya_."

Octavia is the first to tune back into the conversation being had by Clarke and Lincoln and she listens intently although she doesn't understand what's being said. She's just in awe of all the things Clarke has learned during her time down here, right down to a new language it appears.

Lincoln stands from his place over Wells. He's done all he can do for the boy and now they have to wait and see if he's strong enough to make it through the next day. Clarke gets up as well, noticing the puzzled looks on Octavia, Raven, and Finn's faces. It dawns on her then that she and Lincoln had slipped into Trigedasleng. After three years it just came naturally to her to speak in the Trikru language instead of English.

"We need to go find those creatures that attacked you guys and take care of them before they attack again," she explains to the group.

"I'm coming with you," Octavia speaks up immediately.

"Are you insane? Clarke you can't go out there alone and fight off whatever these creatures are!" Finn asserts and Clarke has to stop herself from rolling her eyes at him. Who does he think he is, trying to tell her what to do?

"You guys aren't going anywhere, at least not without me and some additional fire power!" Raven interjects and goes over to the area of the drop ship she's claimed for herself to pulls out a belt with small and medium sized explosives hooked into the loops.

"Clarke, seriously, you can't do this alone." Finn repeats, putting his hand on her shoulder looking at her pleadingly.

"She won't be alone, she's got the two of us and Lincoln," Octavia counters and ignores the glare he shoots her.

Although Clarke knows Anya won't like having to associate with the Sky People, she realizes that the extra numbers and weapons may come in handy since they don't know how many Reapers are out in the forest. If they can kill them it may also work in their favor at the upcoming clan meeting.

"Finn, I can handle myself. You're more than welcome to grab a weapon and come along or you can stay here and take care of Wells, although you'd be more helpful leading us to where the attack happened," she tells the boy as she moves out from under his hold. She grabs her gear and secures her daggers, leading the group out of the dropship.

Bellamy, from his spot near the fire, sees the small group come out and approaches them with Murphy on his heels. "Alright Princess, time to explain what the hell is going on here." He demands and Clarke has to put her hand on Lincoln's arm to keep him from running the boy through for his disrespectful tone.

"They're called Reapers, they're mindless creatures who attack their victims without mercy and eat them. We're leaving to go find and kill them before they can attack us again. You can come with or you can stay behind and have your hissy fit, up to you. Now step aside," Clarke commands, taking a small bit of pleasure in seeing him waver before he composes himself.

"You didn't think that cannibals were pertinent information? Nobody is going anywhere until you start telling us the truth Clarke," he bellows back getting into Clarke's personal space, standing at his full height to tower over her. Instead of flinching back like he had expected she straightens up and looks him dead in the eyes.

"What's going on here is that I am trying to protect all of you. It's what I have been doing since I got here and you're wasting my time with your dramatics. I'll tell you one more time, get out of my way before I make you move," she states, her voice conveying the sincerity of her words.

"You're on your own Princess, there's no way any of us are risking our lives for little Jaha or you and the savage. None of us here owe him or you anything." Murphy sneers, taking the attention off of Bellamy.

"We'll come with you Clarke." She hears Monroe say as she steps out from the crowd of onlookers that had gathered during the argument, followed by Roma, Fox and Harper. All of them armed with the weapons Raven had made for them. Bellamy tries to protest, but Octavia shuts him down immediately. She knows her brother doesn't like it, but she's not going to sit around and do nothing.

Clarke nods at the willing group of fighters and side steps Murphy as they make their way out of camp. Bellamy begrudgingly calls out orders to his guards before catching up to the group gun in hand.

" _Skai Prisa emo nou bilaik gonakru_ ," Lincoln says from his spot beside her.

" _Emo ste ai gonakru_ ," Clarke answers him back confidently.

* * *

**Translations:**

Chit hashta ripa - what about the Reapers?

Osir Souda frag emo op ripa- we have to kill all those Reapers

oso souda lok emo op fou emo jomp op nodotaim "we must locate them before they attack again

Osir gaf in chich op Onya - we need to talk to Anya

emo nou bilaik gonakru "they aren't (real) warriors"

Emo ste ai gonakru -they are my warriors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigedasleng is a hard language and not fun at all to research but I did my best, hopefully I didn't mess it up too bad.
> 
> Fun Fact: chapter 7 is done and will be posted within the week and more shit shall hit the fan


	7. Friends or Foes pt.2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He knows what he needs to do now. He's going to save them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as promised here is part 2 of friends or foes. Thanks for the reviews and all the faves/follows on the last chapter. Your support and opinions on this really do make it worth all the stress my beta jellymankelly has to put up with. This is a big chapter with small things that will turn into bigger things. Keep your eyes peeled. Also there is a fight scene mid chapter so TW for violence

Anya isn't happy with the situation she finds herself in - being lead by Bellamy to where the attack had taken place. The other sky children were stumbling along in the darkness; at least the ones Clarke had trained were making an effort to be silent. She can't believe she let Clarke talk her into this ridiculous plan, but better to go with her and the sky children than have them run off into battle unprotected. Death by a thousand cuts would be easier to handle than the look on her friend's face if something were to happen to Clarke.

"Don't be so surly," Clarke whispers from her spot next to Anya. "It's a good plan Anya, and at the end of the day a chance to get them useful weapons."

"Lexa would be impressed," Anya mutters in short, clipped 'Sleng. "It is a good strategy, but as you know in war things can change quickly. Are they prepared for that? Are _you_ prepared for that?"

"Victory stands on the back of sacrifice," Clarke answers in kind. "Obviously I want to make it out of this with everyone, but if they die in battle they will be honored as warriors and earn the rest of the Skaikru the acceptance of the Coalition. Which we need in order to be able to create an alliance with them that the Coalition will actually recognize."

Clarke knows her plan could totally fall apart but she hopes that the attack on Wells and the risk to themselves will ensure their win in their first battle on Earth. She wants the 100 to look like the strong allies she knows they could be in the upcoming war with the Mountain Men. She understands Anya's reluctance but they need the Sky People almost as much as the Sky People need them.

"But did you really have to bring the loudest ones?" As the words leave her lips she casts her gaze to Raven, who's walking ahead of them with Octavia at her side.

"Raven will grow on you," Clarke responds knowingly. She has to hold in a laugh at the disgusted face Anya makes at the thought.

Before the two warriors can say anything else, Finn falls into step with them. It was becoming clearer to him that these people had some type of hold over Clarke and he needed to save her from them before they could brainwash her any more. She'd done all she needed to do to survive here on Earth without him there to protect her, but now that he's here, she doesn't need to be with these savages any longer.

"How do we know we can even trust any of these people?" Finn speaks up casting a glare at Anya. "This isn't our fight, Clarke. We just need to go back to the drop ship, get Wells and go to the mountain. We'll be safe there."

"These creatures were once warriors before the mountain you are so compelled to go to turned them into the monsters they are now, and they will do the same to you once you are no longer of use to them. I suggest you hold your tongue on matters you do not understand before I remove it, boy." Anya sneers at him, she doesn't like the way this sky boy's attentions are directed towards Clarke and was just looking for a reason to strike out at him.

"Okay, we don't have time for this. We need to work together here to get rid of those Reapers before they get into the tunnels," Clarke intervenes, knowing Anya would make good on her threats to Finn if he kept it up.

* * *

Bellamy's head is reeling at everything that's happened in the last few hours. It's almost like an information overload. The attack on Wells, finding out they aren't really alone on Earth and now they're about to go into battle with some unknown threat - it's completely overwhelming him. He's keeping his cool as best he can though. He can't appear to look weak or scared in front of these seasoned warriors; he just hopes his guard training on the Ark will be enough in this fight.

Up ahead he spots the area near the trees where Wells was speared come into view and he signals for everyone to stop. "That clearing up ahead is where Wells was attacked."

The big silent warrior who'd been trailing the group since they left comes up to the front, moving past Bellamy and the rest of the group. He bends down, looking over the trail, picking up some of the disturbed foliage and smelling it before letting it drop from his hands. He gets up and moves towards the trees and runs his hands over the bark of one of them. A grunt is the only signal he needs to let them know he's found something.

"Ryder's found their trail and he's going to lead us to them. Remember, aim for the head, neck or limbs and don't put yourselves in any unnecessary harm," Clarke says to the anxious group of teenagers before pulling her mask over her face. The other three warriors follow suit and the group starts moving again.

"This should be fun, going into a potential war zone against genetically modified creatures," Raven mutters to Octavia.

"Better to die trying to save ourselves on Earth than locked up in a cage in space," the younger girl answers, the dagger Clarke had given her at the ready just in case.

"We aren't dying today, we've been through too much crap on the Ark to go out like this," Fox chimes in, spear in hand, determination lacing her voice as Roma, Monroe and Harper flank them with their own weapons drawn.

Clarke smiles from behind her mask at hearing them encourage each other. She's proud of her team and she knows they'll do everything they can to make it out on top. Anya nudges her shoulder and gives a barely perceptible nod of approval, her eyes still trained forward, sword at the ready.

* * *

A short while later Ryder stops and looks over to Anya then points just beyond the trees. Anya and Lincoln climb the trees swiftly to start surveilling the area, much to the amazement of the onlookers. The odds seem to be in their favor with only eight Reapers and thirteen of them. Unfortunately it's some of the biggest ones they've ever encountered before.

The two descend from the trees just as gracefully as they had ascended. "There's eight of them," Anya reports and notes the hopeful looks on the faces of the young people.

"They're the biggest I've ever seen in our lands," Lincoln supplies and notices the group deflate a bit. "You Sky People are fast and they will not be as agile, there is still hope."

"Circle the trees, get into position. Raven and Finn will signal the start of the attack with the grenades, draw them to the trees. Remember your training."

The group nods before splitting off into their assignments. The four warriors take up their positions in the trees surrounding the reapers and watch the sky children as they move into formation.

As soon as Raven and Finn are behind the Reapers, Raven grabs two of the explosives from her belt and, handing one off to her companion, they pull the pins and throw them as close as possible to the Reapers before falling back behind the trees and covering their ears. The others quickly follow suit to protect their hearing.

Within seconds both explosives go off, wounding the Reapers closest to the blast and alerting the others, who pull their weapons. Before the smoke has time to clear properly, Bellamy takes aim and takes out one of the injured creatures, drawing the others to the gun fire. Octavia waits like Clarke had instructed her until they get closer then gives the signal to throw the spears.

They each hit their targets, but are shocked at the sheer power of these monsters that keep coming as if nothing had happened. A loud war cry is heard before arrows are flying from the trees, providing cover for Clarke, Lincoln, and Ryder who each jump out from their spots, weapons already aimed for attack.

Finn watches on from his spot covered by the trees as the three warriors move as one, quickly cutting down the first attacker as Anya joins in the fray with her sword drawn. Clarke narrowly ducks out the way of a well thrown dagger and releases her own hitting her assailant in the windpipe. He drops as she pulls her sword, ready for the next attack.

"Bell, cover us!" Octavia runs out leading the others, pulling the dagger Clarke had thrown from the now lifeless body. The others grab their spears just in time to defend themselves from two of the creatures. Monroe and Fox run one through with their spears, but are thrown from their opponent's body by its unexpected strength. Both girls hit the ground hard. Octavia jumps on the back of the reaper, jamming her knife into the base of its neck before she's thrown off too. Bellamy shoots the heavily injured reaper in the knees cutting him down to receive a death blow from Lincoln's axe.

Harper grabs her spear and cuts across the calf of her opponent the same time that Roma plunges her spear into his exposed neck. The act seems to enrage the large warrior more than actually wound him. He runs at Roma, who is in his direct line of sight and nearly catches up to her.

"Roma get down!" Clarke calls and the girl does as told, hitting the ground immediately. Clarke throws her knife, hitting the attacking Reaper right between the eyes. He drops to the ground and she finishes him off by driving her sword through his chest.

Raven spots one of the creatures running up on Anya. She dashes full sprint out from her cover, grenade drawn and primed. "Hey studly, heads up!" she calls out, drawing his attention before throwing the explosive at him. To her surprise, he actually catches it, his hands blowing clean off as it explodes. Octavia finishes him off by slamming her dagger between his shoulder blades, watching as he slides off her blade and to the ground.

Ryder snaps the neck of the Reaper he is engaged with, the body dropping to the ground next to the one Anya puts down.

Everyone looks around weapons at the ready. Clarke does a quick count and notices they downed all of the assailants with minimal injury to themselves. She knew they had to get out of there before they could do any celebrating though. "Grab any weapons you can and get ready to head out once we're done here." She orders putting her sword back into its sheath. She knows they were lucky this time, but she doesn't want to push it.

Finn and Bellamy help up Monroe and Fox, each boy steadying one of the women and helping them move along. Clarke looks the two girls over and decides their injuries aren't serious enough to require immediate attention. "Just take it easy on our way back, help them stay on their feet and I'll look you both over when we get back to camp." She tells the foursome.

Once the bodies have been stripped of their weapons, Ryder and Lincoln start piling them on top of each other while Clarke gathers some wood and deadfall, putting it around the corpses. Anya quickly lights a fire, thankful for her years of practice of doing this, and sets the wood and deadfall alight, watching as the flames engulf the bodies. " _Yu gonplei ste odon_ ," she speaks in her native tongue, before throwing the stick into the fire.

* * *

The silence of their journey back to camp is broken by Harper, who can't hold in her curiosity any longer and steps up to Clarke near the front of the group. "Hey Clarke, you were a beast out there. You took out those Reapers like it was nothing!" Her words draw the attention of the other warriors. "Did the grounders teach you how to do all that knife work? Can we learn?" she continues on, trying to keep her voice level despite her excitement.

"Clarke possesses an unusual talent with the blade. The accuracy with which she delivers her death strikes is something that cannot be taught. During her training she learned only how to refine the skills she already has," Anya answers remembering Clarke's first days of skills training and how terrible she was at most everything until she held a knife in her hands. The comfort with which she handled the training knives and daggers was something that took most warriors years of intensive training. Her accuracy was unmatched even by Lexa.

"Guess all those years working in the clinic and using scalpels on the Ark paid off," Raven comments. She watches on as Clarke falters for a moment and smirks in satisfaction.

"Yeah I guess so," the blonde responds distractedly, which only serves to confirm to Raven that Clarke did in fact have some sort of flashback.

"Awesome, I wonder if any of our skills on the Ark will pay off down here," Roma adds, joining in the conversation.

"Obviously mine already have," Raven gloats, patting her utility belt of explosives for emphasis.

"How is throwing a small bomb considered a skill to your people?" Anya asks the mechanic, voice laden with contempt for her methods. "It's those types of weapons that destroyed the Earth in the first place."

"My ability to make those bombs is what saved your bacon," Raven retaliates, which causes the warriors to stop in their tracks and look at her quizzically. Raven backs up a step, thinking she may have insulted them in some way.

Head tilting slightly, Anya looks at her with a raised brow and serious expression on her face. "What is a bacon?"

The others in the group stifle their laughter at the confused looks of these supposedly savage warriors and turn to Raven, waiting to hear her answer. "Seriously? It's a type of meat that comes from pigs. You guys should be familiar with it since you have pigs down here."

"What does pig meat have to do with explosives?" Lincoln asks looking even more confused after the explanation.

Raven sighs, not believing they're having this conversation in the middle of the woods after a battle. "Nothing, it's just an expression we used back on the Ark. It means I saved your life. As in, if I hadn't have blown up that Reaper before he attacked you, you'd probably be sporting a pretty intense haircut right now." She hopes her blunt answer will get her point across.

"You Sky People are odd," is the only thing Anya says before turning back around and continuing to lead the way back towards the dropship camp.

* * *

The sun coming up in the horizon signals the beginning of a new day. The celebration of their victory would happen after they've had time to rest. Clarke is anxious to get back and check on Wells. She'd left him in the care of Monty and Jasper with instructions on what they should do throughout the night. Upon their arrival, the gates are opened without hesitation despite the new additions to the group that had gone out. Those who are awake welcome them back heartily.

All of them wave off the offers of food, but take the water to quench their thirst. Clarke and Lincoln go into the dropship to check on Wells. They find Monty and Jasper sitting with him and helping him eat small bites of food.

"It worked," Clarke enthuses towards Lincoln. Her words draw the attention of the others in the room who hadn't heard them approach.

"Did you guys just get back?" Monty asks,choosing to ignore the smudged war paint and blood staining their faces and clothes.

"Yeah. How was he during the night? Did the fever break?" Clarke inquires.

"The fever broke a few hours ago and he's been in and out of consciousness for a while now." Jasper answers, putting a cup to the boy's mouth for him to drink.

"It will take a few days for the toxins to clear out of his system completely, but he should make a full recovery," Lincoln supplies, looking over the boy he'd helped save. He is glad that he was able to help the sky boy. All he's known his whole life is war and battles. The world has been trying to turn him into a monster but he won't let it. He sees the potential of these Sky People and hopes they can help in the war against the Mountain Men and finally allow them to live in peace one day.

"I guess then we'll just have to wait," Clarke answers. "You guys okay with him for a bit longer? I want to get cleaned up."

Both boys nod and encourage her to take all the time she needs, so she and Lincoln leave them to it.

* * *

Stepping outside they see Anya and Ryder waiting at the entrance for them as the others pretend to mill around.

"Your Sky People did well today Clarke," Anya compliments. Clarke's happy that Anya is finally referring to them as Sky People instead of sky children like Clarke had become accustomed to hearing over the last few weeks.

"Clarke, we need to talk," Finn demands, interrupting the conversation Clarke and her mentor are having. He reaches for her wrist and the next thing he's aware of he's laid out on his back with a sword to his chest.

"I warned you to watch your tone, boy!" Anya pushes the blade down just enough to cause a small puncture. The boy beneath her winces in pain and she hopes the mark will teach him his place.

" _Hod op Onya, beja_ ," Clarke pleads, pulling her mentor's arm. Anya pulls back and re-sheaths her sword, her glare never leaving the boy still laid out on the ground.

"The boy is a coward. I would be doing him a favor by releasing his spirit." She spits at the boy, remembering how he'd hidden behind the trees during the fight. She's seen the destruction cowards like him can cause.

"What the hell are you even talking about!" Finn challenges, getting to his feet, running his hand through his mop of hair.

"Finn stop it! Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Clarke steps in between them hoping that as long as she's between him and Anya, the general won't try to kill him.

"Clarke, look, I'm glad you had these people to help you out while you were here and I'm so grateful that you're still alive, but you don't need them anymore. I'm here now and I can take care of you." He pleads, ignoring the glare he's getting from Anya.

"How would _you_ protect her?" Anya asks amusedly. "You spent the entire battle hiding behind a tree like a frightened child."

"We aren't like you people and neither is Clarke," he counters angrily before softening his gaze and looking Clarke in the eyes. "We don't need to be here Clarke, we can leave and we'll survive on our own without them. We'll find a way."

"Finn, don't you get it? Anywhere you go there's going to be danger and you're going to have to fight for survival," Clarke reasons, hiding her exasperation. "The person you're expecting me to be doesn't exist anymore and you need to let her go. You need to open your eyes and see the bigger picture of what's going on here Finn."

"And what exactly is going on here Princess, why don't you enlighten us?" Bellamy interrupts, noting the tension. "I think it's time we all learned the truth."

Clarke sighs, she can't keep them in the dark anymore, they've already seen the grounders and fought reapers now she needs to tell them the truth about the mountain. It may be the only way to ensure they stay away from Mount Weather and align themselves with the Twelve Clans. Clarke's relieved that she has Anya, Ryder and Lincoln there to help her out with this task.

"You're right, but first let's get cleaned up and then we'll get everyone together and I'll tell you everything you need to know," she concedes. Bellamy is quick to agree, wanting to wash the remnants of the night off himself as well.

"You've got one hour, then we all meet in the dropship," he orders and she nods to him.

* * *

An hour later the 100 are all gathered in the ship, looking to Clarke and the other warriors with her. The blonde looks around the room at the faces of the people she's gotten to know over the last few weeks, pondering what her first move should be. She takes another moment to think and recall all the information she's learned during her time with the 100. She needs to tread lightly here and be as honest as she can afford to be with them.

"I've been lying to you all," she starts off, her eyes scanning the crowd, gauging their reactions. "When I regained consciousness after my fall, I thought I was going to die out here alone because of everything we were taught back on the Ark about this place and how it wouldn't be habitable, at least not for another generation." She speaks evenly, keeping herself steady.

"I was saved by Anya and the 'grounders', as you call them, but in reality they're called the _Trikru_. So you can imagine my own surprise to find out that not only was the air down here not radioactive, but that people had somehow managed to survive on the ground."

She takes a pause to allow her words to sink in for a moment. Anya nods her encouragement to let Clarke know she's doing well. "How'd they even survive though?" Miller asks. He's a quiet but brave kid, and Clarke likes him. From what she's seen, he's a hard worker and helps out a lot around the camp.

"It's not really rocket science. Their ancestors would have had a rare DNA mutation that made them more resistant to the radioactivity, which would allow them to thrive and live to reproductive age when everyone else died out," Raven explains. "Basically they got good genes and their ancestors humped like bunnies and now here they are."

"Okay, alright, that explains the grounders, but what about the Reapers? Where'd they come from?" Bellamy questions, looking directly at Clarke.

"Like Raven said, the ancestors of the grounders had robust DNA which allowed them to survive and thrive, but there was another group that also survived the nuclear apocalypse," she answers, noting the looks of curiosity on the faces of many in the room. "We call them the Mountain Men. They live inside of Mount Weather and can only leave if they're wearing special suits and have breathing equipment."

"The Mountain Men have been at war with our people for generations," Anya supplies. "They take our strongest warriors and turn them into monsters and steal our women and children. Those who go into the mountain never come back out, unless it's as Reapers."

"They're used as hunters for the Mountain Men. We have been fighting for the survival of our people but the Mountain Men have advanced technology and weaponry," Lincoln takes over. "They have scorched the Earth with their missiles and destroyed our villages."

"They created civil unrest amongst the clans, keeping them too busy fighting and killing each other to worry about them up there in their mountain fortress." Clarke continues. "It's why when we heard that you guys had landed and were talking about going to the mountain, I knew I had to do something to stop you before you met the same fate as all those we've already lost to them."

"Okay so what you're saying is that there is a race of humans that have technology and weapons at Mount Weather?" Murphy questions from his spot next to Bellamy, "but because you've been living with the savages you decided to keep us in the dark? What exactly was the motive for that? They've probably brainwashed you into being on their side Princess. Besides, so what if they have weapons? We have weapons too. Obviously the only ones with anything to lose here are your precious grounders."

The crowd starts murmuring as they mull over Murphy's words. "The people in the mountain would probably die within seconds of exposure to these conditions." Raven ponders and draws the attention of the crowd. "There's gotta be more to it than just abductions, otherwise they wouldn't take the women and children, just the warriors to make more of their attack dogs."

"No one has ever made it out of there alive, so we have no way of knowing what they've done to them," Anya says, looking at the mechanic.

"There's going to be a meeting of the Twelve Clans in a few days time to discuss what they're going to do about you guys." Clarke reveals, regaining everyone's attention. "It's why I've been pushing you all so hard the last few weeks, because you need to prove yourself worthy of becoming a part of the alliance. If not then they plan to wipe you all out before you can get to the mountain."

"So all this time you've been training us on how to hunt and fight, pushing us to get the wall up, and the smoke house, all so we can impress these clans so they decide not to kill us?" Octavia inquires.

"Yes! I knew you guys could be more than just a bunch of useless children if put to the task. You've already surpassed my expectations with what you've accomplished so far and today with the fight, it will give the other tribes pause to reconsider their positions on not working with you. I'm sorry I lied, but I had your best interest at heart and telling you would have only created mass hysteria," Clarke continues.

"Again though, Mount Weather has all that stuff and a ton of technology, there's no need for us to be out here living like animals." Murphy counters.

"Don't you get it Murphy?" Bellamy speaks up from where he'd been listening to the whole conversation and weighing the words that have been spoken. Personal feelings aside he understands what Clarke and the others are trying to say. He looks at his little sister and knows for sure that going to the mountain is not an option for her, which means it's not an option for him either. "Their fortress is also their prison. Their ancestors didn't have the right genes and never reproduced with anyone who did to introduce it into the population like these guys or us, so they're trapped down there and we would be too. It'd be like being on the Ark all over again, except this time we'd be stuck underground."

"Bellamy's right, the fact alone that we can walk freely puts a huge target on our back from both sides, but at least with the grounders we'd have the option to fight with them and live above ground." Raven pushes, seeing the resolve of some of the opposition crumbling as they weigh their options.

"The Ark sent us down here to die and we have an opportunity to live and thrive down here using our own skills and knowledge. I'm sorry but I've spent my life locked away in that ship either under the floorboards or in a prison cell, and this is my shot to write my own destiny. I'm not going to be locked away in some mountain for the rest of my life." Octavia argues, not wanting to lose her first taste of freedom and independence.

"We're with you and the grounders Clarke," Fox speaks for the group that had been training with her. Slowly others in the group also call out their own support.

"So what's it going to be Murphy? Are you with us or against us?" Clarke asks, looking at him directly. The room goes silent and all eyes are on him.

"Looks like I don't have much of a choice Princess, but don't say I didn't warn you when this blows up in our faces," he sneers, crossing his arms indignantly.

"Hang on though, what are we signing up for here? It can't just be as simple as that now can it?" Finn voices his suspicions.

"You're right, it isn't that easy. We're going to have to go to TonDC and meet with the Commander and the Coalition," Clarke explains.

"Every leader or steward of a clan will be permitted an opinion on the matter of you joining the alliance, but the Commander has final say on what will become of you," Anya picks up where Clarke leaves off, as she knows how these meetings usually go. "Your leader will have an audience with the Commander, at which time they will have to convince Heda of your value. If convinced, you will join the ranks of the allied forces and be permitted to stay in our lands. If your leader fails, you will suffer the consequences."

"This is ridiculous!" Finn declares. "If Bellamy fails to impress your Commander, we're going to be killed off? What kind of stupid deal is that? Clarke you have to see reason here and this isn't it."

Clarke put her hand on Anya's shoulder effectively holding her back from attacking Finn for his insolence. "The Commander is a reasonable person and will see that it's in the best interest of the Coalition to join forces with us."

"We have a few days before they get there, right?" Bellamy asks, trying to push down his nerves. All of this is getting way beyond his control now. It was hard enough keeping everyone in line before Clarke came along and now he has to go represent them and hope that he doesn't end up getting them killed instead. He can feel his anxiety rising but keeps up the façade.

"Yes, at least five more days before the first delegation arrives." Clarke can only hope that Lexa, Luna and Caris are that first contingent, otherwise things could take a dangerous turn for herself and the 100. "It'll give Wells a few more days to recover before we make the short journey to the city."

"Well then it looks like we're going to TonDC," Bellamy announces to the group. "Everyone start preparing for the trip, those of you who went out with us last night, get some rest, you all deserve it." At his words everyone starts making their way out of the drop ship to get the day started. Anya, Ryder, and Lincoln follow close behind them, in need of some fresh air after being cooped up in the ship for over an hour.

Clarke places her hand on Bellamy's shoulder and gives it a light squeeze. "It's going to be okay Bellamy, trust me. I know you can do this."

The boy turns to her and sighs out a long breath. "No Clarke, I can't do this, I can't do any of this. If it weren't for you we'd probably all be dead by now. I can't do this alone Clarke, much as I hate to admit it, I need you to be there with me when we go."

Clarke nods solemnly. "We're in this together Bellamy." As the words leave her lips, Bellamy visibly relaxes and Clarke has to hold in a chuckle at how the tides have turned over the last few weeks. As nervous as she was about the upcoming events, she was also happy to soon be reunited with her wife in TonDC.

* * *

The first time Wells wakes up he's in pain and unable to catch his breath, shivering despite the fact that his body is sweating profusely. He hears Clarke talking to Octavia, the words sounding muffled like his ears are plugged with cotton. He's surprised by the care he's receiving from his former best friend after how things ended between them on the Ark.

The two had grown up together and been inseparable for most of their lives. Both outcasted by their peers due to their positions in the Ark hierarchy, his father the Chancellor and both her parents members of the council. Their friendship left broken by his perceived betrayal.

The second time he wakes up, the sight of the unfamiliar savage man before him makes him think he's in a dream, but then he hears Clarke's voice. She's speaking another language and he knows it's reality. Clarke sits him up as the man puts a vial to his lips for him to drink. The pain in his side has lessened, but his body still feels heavy. He fights off the drowsiness as he's laid back down, struggling to stay awake and hear what's going on, but he can't hold on and sleep overtakes him once again.

Clarke is gone the next time he regains consciousness, but Jasper and Monty are there with him. He opens his eyes with a groan that alerts the two and they immediately scramble over to him. "Hey buddy, are you alright?" Monty asks, running a damp cloth over his head. "Is there anything you need? Jasper, get him some water."

The lanky boy quickly grabs a canteen filled with water and brings it over. He puts it to Wells' lips, who greedily drinks from it. Thirst quenched, he takes a minute to gather his thoughts. "What happened? Where's Clarke?" His voice weak and raspy.

"You were attacked. Clarke and this grounder saved you," Monty answers, "then Clarke, the grounder, and some of the others left to go find whoever or whatever attacked you."

Wells pales at the information of his attack and grounders,which only serves to strengthen his resolve of getting to the mountain and alerting the Ark. Using the advice his father always used to give him back on the Ark, " _use what they see as your weakness to your advantage._ "

He'd gained an unlikely ally in Finn Collins and his now girlfriend Raven Reyes, along with Monty and Jasper, the five of them had been working together on plans to get to the mountain or a means of contacting the Ark without Bellamy and his goons finding out.

His plan had been working until Clarke's arrival. Even though they had their issues in the past he was hopeful that she would be reasonable and help him convince the others to go to Mount Weather. He'd been disappointed when she took Bellamy's side on the issue. Now he was on his own in his quest to save them all.

Wells hopes he can use this attack to his advantage and get more people on board with his plans. He pushes up a bit more and fights off the nauseous feeling as his stomach churns. Monty and Jasper help him into a sitting position and give him a bit more water. "How long have they been gone for?"

"It's been a couple of hours already, it's coming up on dusk now." Jasper answers with a hint of worry in his voice as he looks around nervously.

"Who all went with her and the grounder? Is it just him or were there more?" He continues, seeking to garner more information.

"The girls she's been hunting with, Raven, Finn and Bellamy all left with her. He can't be the only grounder in these parts, but we won't know for sure till they get back probably. Bellamy was pretty pissed when they left," Monty says.

"Obviously she's not telling us the truth. She knew about the grounders and kept it to herself. She's become one of them. I mean, it makes sense why she doesn't want us to go to the mountain," Wells tells the pair, putting the pieces together in his quickly fatiguing mind. He lays back down, feeling the exhaustion deep in his bones.

"Dude are you alright? You don't look too good," Jasper observes.

"Yeah, just tired I guess," Wells responds through a yawn.

"Get some rest man, we'll get you some food a bit later," Monty commands gently, watching the boy's eyes close.

In the days since Clarke brought back the other grounders, Wells has managed to listen into the important conversations being had while they thought he was out of it. He's been feeling better and benefitting from the care he's been receiving from Clarke and the male grounder that helped him out the first night. He's biding his time and gathering all the information he will need. He knows what he needs to do now. He's going to save them all.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: Heda is back next chapter!


	8. Welcome to TonDC

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heda is back and Clexa is reunited

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for all the faves, follows and especially the reviews on the last chapter. To the guest who asked why Jasper and Monty didn't tell Wells about the plans, you are very astute to have picked up on something so small, now if it wouldn't give away anything in the upcoming chapters I would give you the answer now. Trust me though it will come up in the upcoming chapters. Once again thanks to Jellymankelly for the beta duties. Enjoy the read.

Living in the shadow of the mountain has taught Indra to always be prepared for any eventuality. She is not surprised when the news comes that Heda and her army will be arriving at the gates of TonDC two days earlier than expected.

Indra had made sure TonDC would be ready for the arrival of the leaders and armies of the Twelve Clans as soon as she received word of the meetings. Heda's tent was set up and ready for use soon after the arrival of Anya and Clarke. Indra knew with the Skai Prisa in her territory that Heda would not delay her own arrival longer than necessary.

The sight of the approaching army with the Commander in her full military regalia flanked by the leaders of the Bakkru and the Floudonkru equally dressed in their own armor is powerfully impressive. Indra is quick to don her own armor and join her warriors and Anya at the gate to greet the leaders.

All the warriors bow their heads respectfully as the armies ride into the city. Attendants are quickly dispatched to tend to the horses as the leaders and then their guards dismount.

Indra approaches Lexa and clasps forearms with her in greeting. "Welcome back to TonDC, Heda. I trust your journey to our lands was a safe one." Indra greets her.

"It is good to see you again Indra. The journey was long, but not unpleasant." Lexa returns before letting the woman go to greet the other two leaders. She casts her eyes at Anya with a raised brow, not expecting her to be here.

"I thought we agreed Ryder was to report to me upon my arrival?" She questions, trying to hide the concern in her tone.

"Clarke is fine and as she would say, there has been a change in plans. We agreed I would be of more use here to explain to you all that has happened."

"We have time for strategy later," Caris interrupts, she then pulls Anya into an embrace. "It's good to see you again Anya."

"Caris, always a pleasure to see my favorite second." Anya jokes knowing how much it bothered Lexa. She often put the two against each other during their training, they brought out the best in each other during those sparring sessions.

"If she's your favorite second what's that leave me then?" Luna calls with a smile on her face before she too embraces Anya. The two women were close in age, Anya slightly older than her, and they'd spent a great deal of time together training and learning from each other.

"The one who helps me keep those two in line." Anya answers letting a small smile slip from her usually stoic face. Luna chuckles lightly and gives her an additional squeeze of the forearms before letting go of her.

"Once you've all settled in we shall dine together and I will inform you of the events that may have me in need of another second." Anya tells them.

Indra comes back once she's finished instructing her guards and attendants on what needs to be done. "A meal is already being prepared for you all, the war room is ready and so are the tents."

"Thank you Indra, and I hope you have a set place for yourself at the table." Lexa says clapping the general on her shoulder.

"Of course Heda, it will be my honor to dine with you." Indra responds and nods to one of her attendants that's standing nearby to finish the preparations.

Lexa and the others head over to their respective tents to get changed and ready for the meal.

* * *

A short while later the residents of TonDC are all sitting together enjoying their meal of boar stew, specially made for the arrival of the Commander and her troops. It's one of Lexa's favorite meals it brings back many happy memories of her childhood, before she was chosen by the spirit of Heda to lead their people.

Lexa is sitting at the head of the table in the center of the room, Anya is to her right and Gustus to her left. Caris, Indra, and Luna take up the remaining seats at the table. The hum of easy conversation being had amongst the villagers and the warriors that surround them covers the more serious conversation being had at the central table.

"So how has your experience with the sky children been Anya?" Caris asks with a wry smile on her face.

"I would much rather go back to my days of training the two of you than spending more time than is necessary with them." The general answers back pointing her spoon between Lexa and Caris.

"Surely they can't be that bad." Luna chuckles amused at the comparison.

"Under Clarke's command they are improving, but then again she has always had more tolerance than me." Anya comments.

"Well she married Lexa so obviously she has a high tolerance." Caris quips shooting a playful wink in Lexa's direction.

"We balance each other quite nicely, I agree," Lexa shoots back, "but now let's get to the business at hand - have we found out their purpose?"

Anya nods swallowing her mouthful of stew before answering. "Yes, their home in the sky can no longer sustain life. The sky children were prisoners and were sent down here to see if it is habitable. Their leaders felt it would be of no consequence if they died, since they were already outcasts."

"That is a cruel fate, have they no family?" Luna questions slightly horrified that they may have misjudged the Sky People if they can so easily disregard their children.

"It appears that some of them do and their families were not made aware of the plans. Others either do not have family or have no relationship with their parents." Anya relays the information as it had been passed on to her by Clarke over the last few weeks.

"What of the one who has the weapons?" Gustus queries looking between Anya and Lexa.

"He poses no threat unless provoked or in defense of his sister, although she has turned out to be an enthusiastic warrior, she may benefit from training with you Indra," Anya retorts.

Indra huffs at her words, "I am honored you think me skilled or patient enough to train one of them, but I don't think she would survive a day of training with me."

"I don't know Indra this one has a strong spirit, she reminds me of Clarke in many ways." Anya counters and then looks to Lexa, "your houmon is quite the skilled leader, I think it would be in the best interest of the Sky People for her to represent them during the meetings."

"That's a brilliant idea, especially since you are joined in Union. To go against the Skai Prisa would be to go against you Heda." Luna points out the strategic advantage of having Clarke in charge.

Lexa mulls over the information she's received, happy to know that Clarke is okay and doing well amongst the 100. The idea of having Clarke lead them had crossed her mind. It would make things much simpler than having to deal with someone unfamiliar with their ways. She knows it won't be that easy though especially since they already have a leader.

"Will their current leader not oppose this?" Lexa speaks her thoughts looking at Anya for her opinion since she'd been observing them and had interacted with them over the last few weeks.

"Even he recognizes that without Clarke they wouldn't be where they are now."

"Take me to see her tonight and we will discuss this, if she accepts the role then we will introduce her to the other members of the alliance as the leader of the Skaikru." Lexa announces and the table nods their agreement at the plan.

Indra eyes Gustus knowing her old friend has an objection on the tip of his tongue about Lexa going out in the night in such a dangerous area, but he knows better than to challenge her decision in front of the other leaders at the table.

"We would do the same for our loves," she whispers to the man beside her. The two had grown up together in the same village and trained alongside each other. Both had seen the rise and fall of many Hedas, though none as powerful and cunning as the one before them now and they'd sworn to protect her and make sure she carried out her destiny. She would be the greatest Heda.

"I just worry her heart may one day overtake her head." He replies just as quietly back to Indra.

"In those moments it is your duty to protect her and you will my friend." She pats him on the shoulder and he gives her an appreciative nod before they both dig back into their food.

* * *

After the meal is finished and everyone has retired to their tents for the night, Lexa is in her own tent preparing to make the trip out to the Skaikru camp. Despite Anya's assurances that Clarke is doing well, she still misses her and wants to see her. Lexa knows Gustus isn't too happy about it and will probably be trailing behind her and Anya on their way there. They're in enemy territory and she's not going to provoke the Mountain Men unnecessarily, so she grabs her simple clothes and her head covering and puts them on before walking out of her tent.

Anya dressed in similar fashion is waiting outside for her, ready to lead her through the forest to the drop ship. As soon as Lexa steps out the two start making their way through the trees, following the quickest route to get back to the camp.

"So what is it that you left out during our talks earlier Anya?" Lexa questions, Anya isn't only her mentor, she is also the closest thing Lexa has to a sibling so Lexa knows her well enough to know she left out some details about the 100.

"Your ability to read people is a gift to you and a curse to others," the older woman jokes. "Her mind has not fully returned to her yet if that's what you are asking, however it seems that a former lover is amongst them and despite his current relationship he seems to be vying to regain Clarke's affection."

Lexa's jaw clenches at the thought of someone coming on to Clarke and steps up her pace a bit more. "Has it worked?"

"Lexa, don't be ridiculous, of course it hasn't. She only has eyes for you, and he's more of a nuisance than anything else." Anya rolls her eyes thinking about the inept boy, her words soothing Lexa's concerns. She trusts her wife implicitly, but she knows that her memory could come back at any moment and this could affect the dynamics of their relationship.

The two finally break through the trees and spot the camp ahead of them. Lexa looks over the stronghold, impressed at the sight before her.

"None of this was here before her," Anya speaks up proudly as Lexa stares ahead in awe of what Clarke's managed to accomplish in such a short time. "As I said before, her spirit is born to lead. You stay here and I will go get her for you."

Lexa watches as Anya makes her way out of the shadows and calls out to the guards at the gate, instead of walking a straight line to the gate she follows a diagonal path. Lexa realizes there may be some sort of traps between the trees and the entrance to the camp. Her heart swells up with pride again as she waits impatiently to be reunited with her wife.

* * *

Anya walks into the camp and looks around finding Clarke sitting with Raven and Octavia having a debate over a piece of paper in Clarke's hands. She gets closer and Clarke perks up sensing her presence, but not yet acknowledging it. "What are you all so deep in conversation about?" Her voice and proximity startles the other two who jump with surprise, Clarke laughs at their reactions.

"Fucking ninjas!" Raven curses under her breath while clutching her chest.

"What did you just call me sky girl?" Anya asks hand on her sword.

Raven's eyes widen, she didn't think the warrior had heard her. Damn the ninja skills and the super hearing. "A ninja is a sort of warrior, they move stealthily like you do," she explains quickly and watches relieved as Anya's hand is withdrawn from her sword.

Anya nods her head at the girl, making a mental note of the new sky word she's learned. Clarke watches their interaction with a smile, knowing she was right. Raven had slowly started growing on Anya in the time she'd spent with the Sky People. Although she still disagreed with the brunette's use of explosives.

"Just trying to see if we can get some fishing traps set up to get a bigger haul," Clarke replies to the original question. "What are you doing back here so soon?"

" _Heda ste hir_ ," she answers in Trigedasleng so only Clarke will understand. The girls eyes light up with the information and she has to control her smile and excitement. " _Em gaf ai op yu nau_."

" _Em ste hir weron_?" Clarke asks trying to keep her composure around her companions that are watching the exchange bewildered at her sudden exuberance.

"We really need to learn this language." Raven mumbles to Octavia who nods her head slowly.

" _Ona trimeni_." Clarke nods at the answer before standing up abruptly.

"I'll be right back, nature calls," she tells the two brunettes before leaving them sitting there staring dumbstruck at just looks at them then turns and follows behind Clarke.

"What the hell was that about?" Octavia asks bemusedly, watching Clarke pull up the hood on her jacket and walking out of the gates. Anya and Ryder are hot on her heels as Lincoln stands by the gate with the two guards on duty.

Raven just shrugs. "No idea, but we'll find out eventually, probably something to do with that Coalition meeting thing in a few days."

"I guess." Octavia sighs before turning her attention back to the design they'd been working on before the interruption.

* * *

Clarke slowly makes her way into the trees with Anya and Ryder a few steps behind her. Once she's in the shadows she's immediately pulled into a kiss. It takes her a second but she reciprocates the kiss wrapping her arms around the familiar body of her wife. The kiss breaks slowly and they're both breathless but content.

"Hello to you too, Lex," Clarke grins happily and kisses Lexa again this time gentler, savoring the moment and trying to make up for lost time, "you're here earlier than expected, not that I'm complaining." She mumbles against her wife's lips.

"I've missed you Skai Prisa, so I may have hurried my army a bit to get here faster," Lexa responds breaking the kiss. She pulls Clarke closer to her enjoying the weight of her houmon in her arms, not caring about the public display in front of Anya, Ryder, and Gustus, who she knows is a few feet back.

"I'm surprised Gustus let you out of his sight," Clarke teases knowing how protective the guard is of Lexa.

Lexa leans in, kissing Clarke softly once more before pulling away. "I'm never out of his sight and we both know that." She smiles, running her eyes over her wife, checking her over to make sure she's really okay.

Clarke cups Lexa's cheeks in her hands and runs her eyes over her as well. She's not wearing her war paint or her usual armor, just her simple clothes and waist coat. She's every bit her Lexa in this moment not Heda Kom Trikru, and Clarke enjoys it, running her thumbs over Lexa's cheeks.

Anya clearing her throat breaks the two from their state and earns the general a glare from the Commander. "Before you two decide to defile a tree, please consider we don't have much time before the guards or your friends come looking for you Skai Prisa." Anya says not even flinching at the look.

"Right yeah okay." Clarke responds putting some distance between herself and Lexa. She runs her hand down Lexa's arm and clasps their fingers together.

"Anya tells me that all of this is your doing." Lexa nods her head to the walls around the drop ship.

"I just figured out what they needed and helped them to get it together. Not a big deal really," Clarke replies earnestly.

Lexa smiles and kisses her on the cheek. "You've done very well Clarke I'm proud of you."

"Thanks Lex, so now what did Luna have to say?" the blonde questions, running her thumb over the back of Lexa's hand clasped in hers. After Anya told her that Luna would be traveling along with the first group of warriors she knew the Floudonkru leader must have some information that the Commander needed to know immediately.

"Morana is calling for the eradication of all outsiders." Lexa sighs, slipping back into her stoic mask, but squeezes Clarke's hand reassuringly. "She's sending Quint as the Ice Nation representative and he has most likely spoken to some of their closer allies."

"Do you think the others will side with them?" Clarke voices her concerns. Despite his savage appearance, Quint could be quite convincing.

"He may have an advantage with those leaders of the regions nearest the Ice Nation, but the others will be more open minded to working with the Skaikru." Lexa answers evenly.

"We shouldn't leave it up to chance though." Clarke counters knowingly.

Lexa lets a small smile play on her lips. "No we shouldn't, but once the other clans find out you've been living amongst them that could also stir up some dispute."

Clarke sighs running her free hand through her hair. "You're right, but I hope they see reason once they learn of the battle against the Reapers, this whole alliance is based on having one common enemy."

"We can use that to the advantage of the Skaikru, we will discuss it more over the coming days before the meeting." Lexa says, knowing they've probably only got a few more minutes together there will be enough time for plotting in the days to come. Right now she just wants to enjoy the last few moments with Clarke before they have to go their separate ways again.

She leans in to give Clarke a lingering kiss, which the blonde deepens running her hands through Lexa's hair. Anya and Ryder look away giving the two their privacy for a few moments. The couple pulls apart slowly, resting their foreheads together and looking into each other's eyes.

"I really have missed you," Clarke says leaning in for one final kiss, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"If you see me, it would mean my skills are slipping," Lexa jokes as she pulls away completely, already missing the contact.

"Or that my training has paid off." Clarke smirks playfully, she kisses Lexa once more before the two turn their separate ways and head back to their respective camps for the night.

* * *

The horns blowing in the early morning alerted the sleeping city of the impending arrival of the clans. Lexa got up and prepared herself for what was surely to be a long day of welcoming the other members of the Coalition. Over the past two days her and Clarke had spent some time together discussing the next phase in their plans. The two had agreed that once everyone had arrived and settled in that Anya would come back and let her know so that the Skaikru could make their entrance.

The discussion of who would be presented as the leader of the Skaikru turned out to be more difficult than Lexa had planned. She had expected Clarke to be willing to take the reigns and lead the 100, but that wasn't the case. After much back and forth the two finally agreed that Clarke and Bellamy would share the responsibility. Lexa still wasn't sure about this because no clan ever had co-leaders, but she trusted her wife on this matter.

Lexa takes a deep breath readying herself as the gates are opened and the first leaders and their guards arrive. Indra, Caris and Luna at her side while Gustus and Anya hang back giving the warriors and their animals ample space to move around.

The procession of flags and tribe colors seems endless as the day wears on. Finally at midday the final horn is blown announcing the arrival of the last clan, the Ice Nation. The blue and white flags of their people blowing in the light breeze. The army that rides under the Azkru flag is larger than any of the other clans have brought with them Lexa notes, estimating they've arrived with at least three quarters of their fighting force.

As Quint dismounts his horse, Anya and Gustus step closer to Lexa. Caris and Luna's guards also mirror the protective stance as the stout bald warrior approaches, his own guards not far behind. "Heda, is it not we who should await your arrival?" he asks bowing his head.

"It is my honor as Heda to welcome  _my_  people." She bites back her tone every bit as powerful as her position.

"Of course Heda, and we are honored to be in your presence once again," the burly warrior answers, scanning the crowd of onlookers and noticing Clarke's glaring absence. He finds it to be a curious situation, since the Commander hadn't let the girl out of her sight from practically the day they found her. The scar on his right arm a reminder of how protective Lexa is over the Sky girl. "And where is your lovely houmon?"

Lexa's face remains emotionless despite her utter disdain for the man before her. Lexa knew that sending Quint was Morana's way of trying to taunt her. She's never liked him, he's a weak and cowardly man, how he ascended the ranks to become a general in the Ice Nation's army is beyond her. His mouth had often gotten him into trouble, but luckily he has his guards to protect him from reaping the consequences of his actions. Lexa knows a man like that, his days are counted out and she hopes she will be the one to end his fight, but for now she will play nice for the sake of the Coalition.

"She is where she's needed, but will be back for the evening meal," her tone is clipped and authoritative leaving no room for further questioning. "The first meetings start soon, go settle in and we will reconvene then." Quint simply bows once more before allowing the attendant to show them to their tents.

"Indra, Gustus keep an eye on them," Lexa directs her words never taking her eyes off of the Ice Nation warriors. "Anya go back to the Skaikru camp with Reza and a few others, keep them hidden and ensure the Sky People meet no harm on their journey here."

"Yes Heda." Anya affirms then walks off to find the other scouts and carry out the protective detail.

* * *

The energy in the camp has shifted over the last week, Clarke had spoken to Bellamy after her meeting with Lexa in the woods and told him how the plan was going to go down. Together the two had revealed the plan to the rest of the 100. Ever since then there has been a nervous energy in the air. Clarke has been using it to her advantage, training her group of warriors harder than before and teaching them to use the new weapons they'd acquired during the fight with the Reapers. She wanted them to be as ready as she could get them before leaving for TonDC.

After learning about the symbolism of colors and hairstyles amongst the clans the 100 had insisted on having their own representative blue and black colors for their standards. Blue for the Earth that lay below them on the Ark, black for the vastness of the space they lived in. Gathering the materials to make the flags and adapting clothing to show their colors kept the camp busy enough to not stress too much about the upcoming meetings.

Lincoln had set to work gathering what he would need to create enough blue and black war paint for those who would be going to TonDC. Ryder patiently spent his time teaching Bellamy hand to hand combat tactics. Raven worked on building bigger explosives. Clarke had been clear in her directive to them, they needed to show their strengths and adaptability. Show them that despite their small number, if necessary they could take out an entire army.

Clarke takes a look around at the camp from her spot at the guard post, she sees the Blake siblings sitting by the fire pit, hard at work adapting the jackets for winter with extra lining. A skill they'd learned from their mother as a means to pass time, especially for Octavia. Lincoln is sitting with them working on the ingredients to make the war paint as Octavia speaks animatedly with him. The two of them had grown closer since the fight with the Reapers.

"Klarke," Ryder draws her attention back to the front of the gate where she sees Anya and Reza approaching the camp on horseback. It's slightly past midday, but she knows all the other clans must have already arrived and they'd have to start making their own short trip to the city.

Clarke slips down from her post to open the gates for them. The two dismount easily from their animals, which draw a small crowd of the 100 who had not seen real horses up close before.

"The others have arrived and are awaiting the Skaikru," Anya confirms Clarke's previous assumption, "Reza and I will accompany you back to TonDC and there will be guards stationed around the camp to keep an eye on those remaining here."

Clarke nods taking in the information and scanning the trees. "Do you think any of the other clans will try anything?"

"Better to be prepared," Reza answers eyes flitting around the bustling camp of teenagers. She's glad to see how far they've progressed under Clarke's command, some even looking more like warriors instead of petulant children. "You've done well with them Skai Prisa."

"Thank you." The blonde accepts the compliment with a proud smile on her face. The three of them make their way over to where Lincoln and the siblings are sitting watching them.

* * *

The nineteen foot statue of a man sitting tall, looking out toward the forest they just breached is the first thing they see. The structure is as impressive as the city that lays behind him. A city that, by all Ark accounts, should not exist. From their vantage point on the ridge overlooking the city the 100 can see the skeletons of old world buildings, ruins of a bygone era that for generations were thought only to exist in books and movies they watched up in space. It's not what they had expected at all when thinking about a grounder city.

The group of teens follow Clarke down the well traveled dirt path leading towards TonDC. A horn blows in the distance at the gates. "The guards are signaling our arrival," Clarke supplies to the curious and nervous looks she receives. "Anya, Reza, you two ride ahead. We'll be right behind you."

The two warriors turn their horses and gallop ahead back to the city, leaving Lincoln and Ryder to guard Clarke and the rest of the fierce looking teens in their black and blue war painted faces, dark colored clothing with accents of blue sewn throughout.

Clarke turns to the group, looking them over. They've come a long way in the time she's spent with them, and she's proud of the warriors they are becoming. "I know you're worried, but they need you as much as you need them, just remember that. We are warriors, so straighten up and show them that Skaikru is to be respected."

The group cheers and stands taller after Clarke's words, marching towards the walls of TonDC. Bellamy and Octavia flank Clarke as the gates are being opened. The place is bustling with civilized life, people working together and children playing happily through the cobbled streets.

The buildings within TonDC show a well balanced use of the natural surroundings. The simple huts are constructed out of strong wooden logs. There are tents strewn around different areas of the town, the representative flag colors indicating what section is allocated to what tribe. There are also various stalls lining the pathways with an assortment of goods to be bartered. The teens are in awe of all the fresh fruit and strange vegetables available, things they never thought they would see in their lifetime.

As they walk further into the city, they notice the crowd that's gathered and can hear the murmuring of the inhabitants, some pulling their children behind them at the sight of the guns Bellamy and Finn are carrying. Looking up Octavia notes the guards on the walls have their arrows primed and aimed towards them, she grips her own knife tighter passing by rows of masked and heavily armed warriors.

Raven looks around noticing how everyone seems to be nodding their heads in respect to Clarke, they are practically parting to make a path for the blonde walking with a determined stride toward the center of town.

Intimidating is the first word that comes to Bellamy's mind when he sees where Clarke is headed. She's approaching a tall bearded man with a large axe strapped to his side, flanked by two fierce and equally heavily armed females, the darker one is almost snarling at them and it takes everything in him not to shrink back.

Finn steps closer to Clarke, finger on the trigger of his weapon. Clarke stops in front of the man who must be the Commander and bows her head respectfully. " _Heda_ ," she addresses him in greeting. Him and the two women all nod towards her.

The smaller of the two women steps forward, face hard as she looks over Clarke and then eyes the rest of them with an unrelenting glare, her cold stare lingering on Finn longer than the rest before turning her gaze back to Clarke. She gets closer to Clarke and Finn tenses, raising his weapon slightly, ready to attack if need be.

" _Skai Prisa_ , you finally grace us with your presence," she says to Clarke.

"Sorry for the delay,  _Heda_. I was detained on my journey." Her response is unfazed by the apparent coldness in her reception.

The two women grip forearms, staring intently at each other for a brief moment before the brunette leans in, kissing Clarke's forehead, letting her lips linger for a moment. "As long as you are here now."

Clarke allows a small smile to pass her lips at Lexa's words. The same ones she'd uttered on their wedding day, after Anya found Clarke, down by the river drawing a family of ducklings instead of getting ready for the bonding ceremony.

Octavia lets out the breath she'd been holding at the interaction between Clarke and the slightly taller and very much intimidating brunette, noticing some of the others in the group visibly relaxing as well. She's glad she's not the only one who thinks they may have just dodged a bullet. The red of the woman's cape swaying in the slight breeze passing through the trees, draws Octavia's attention and she realizes that Clarke is wearing the same color red through her braids. She's got to belong to this woman's clan, that has to work in their favor somehow.

The two pull apart and turn back towards the teens. "Welcome to TonDC,  _Skaikru_ , I am  _Heda_  Lexa, leader of the Twelve Clans."

At the mention of her position Bellamy cautiously reaches his hand out to rest it on Finn's shoulder, urging him to stand down. Slowly Finn lowers his weapon, his eyes never leaving Clarke and Lexa's hands which are still held together.

Bellamy steps forward, putting himself between Finn and the two women. He bows his head respectfully at the Commander. "Thank you for allowing us to be here Commander. I am Bellamy Blake, leader of the Sky People and we wish to align ourselves with your Coalition."

Lexa turns to the crowd of onlookers and announces to the leaders of all the tribes that the first round of meetings were to begin. All of the leaders and their guards start walking towards the meeting room. The structure stands out in comparison to the rest of the buildings within TonDC, it looks heavily fortified, built of steel and stone.

* * *

"We see past your ploy  _Heda_ , you send your  _houmon_  to reign over the sky children, yet she is too incompetent to even complete such a simple task." Quint accuses, riling the crowd of opposers into more of a frenzy.

As soon as Lexa had called the meeting to order Quint had started his impassioned speech arguing against allowing the 100 to join the Coalition. He's never liked or trusted Clarke and sees this as his opportunity to finally gain the support of the other clans in his bid to get rid of her and the rest of the outsiders. His Queen should be the leader of the Twelve Clans and he will rule by her side as the Azkru King.

"And this meager boy," Quint continues pointing his hardened glare at a nervous Bellamy. "this boy who shakes in the presence of real warriors, of what use is he to our people?"

Lexa watches on impassively from her elevated throne flanked by Gustus and Anya as the Ice Nation steward carries on. She wants nothing more than to tie him to a pole and cut his tongue from his mouth for his disrespect towards Clarke, but she knows better than to react. He's trying to get a rise out of her. She runs her thumb over the hilt of the dagger Clarke had made for her as a gift for their bonding ceremony. She notices Clarke watching her from her spot next to Bellamy and she gives the blonde an almost imperceptible nod to assure her she won't react to Quint's hostility.

"Their existence is of no consequence to this alliance, it will be in our favor to rid ourselves of these  _branwadas_  and stake their heads at the foot of the mountain. We will show the Mountain Men that we are not afraid of them or their weapons," he roars to the cheers of his warriors and his supporters.

Clarke looks around from her seat, she takes note of those who are cheering along and those who are sitting silently. Quint can be persuasive and she knows that just because the others aren't cheering, it doesn't mean they aren't considering his words. Although the final decision comes down to Lexa, she doesn't want to put her wife in a position to have to overrule a majority and cause a bigger rift within the fragile alliance.

Slowly she stands from her seat, letting the crowd calm down, she takes a minute to look each and everyone of the clan representatives in the eye. She's showing them she's not afraid of the challenge set before her by Quint.

As she starts to speak her words come out strong and determined, silencing the crowd. " _Ai laik_   _Klarke_   _Kom_   _Trikru_ , I am Clarke of the tree clan. Despite what Quint would have you believe I am  _Trikru_  above all else, I am one of you and you are part of me."

She can see Caris and Luna nodding along to her words, her voice becoming more powerful with every sentence she speaks. "Three seasons ago, I fell to Earth, my body was broken and I should have died, but my spirit remained strong. I am here and I am alive for a greater purpose. The mountain will fall in our lifetime, my spirit stayed with me to ensure I would be here to help our people and our  _Heda_  to finally rid our lands of the Mountain Men."

Clarke takes a deep breath, letting her words sink in before she continues to speak. "Quint wants you to think me and the  _Skaikru_  weak, but they are anything but weak. He has every right to fear the  _Skaikru_ , but they are on our side and they will fight with us. I did what  _Heda_  asked of me, I infiltrated them and garnered their trust."

Turning her head she casts a look at Lexa and can see she's stopped fiddling with her dagger. It's an encouragement, she knows she's doing well. "Morana, sits in her lands calling for the eradication of the  _Skaikru_ , but instead of being here to defend her words she sends her mouthpiece. She is away from the reality of the war we find ourselves in, the battles we have faced against the Reapers."

She can tell she's pushing her luck by insulting Morana, but she doesn't care and she knows the other leaders who are present can't argue with the fact of the Ice Queen's absence in these proceedings.

" _Skaikru_ , give us the advantage we need to win this war against the mountain. They've faced Reapers and come out victorious, they are warriors in their own right," she continues on encouraged by the silence in the room. "They know the technology and have worked with it, given the opportunity we could use it against the Mountain Men. This arrangement gives them the chance to live freely and us a chance to finally get our people out of the mountain. So you can choose to live in fear or let them join the alliance and finally step out of the shadow the mountain has cast on us for far too long."

It's a long tense minute before the room erupts into thunderous cheers. Clarke makes her way back to her seat next to a much more relaxed Bellamy. He leans into her slightly to catch her attention. "So what happens now?"

"Now it's Lexa's decision on whether it's worth the risk to accept you into the alliance."

Lexa stands from her throne as the words leave Clarke's mouth, the room immediately goes silent once more as everyone turns their attention to her. She walks to the center of the room her boots thudding dully against the concrete floor. She's heard both sides of the issue and she has to set aside her own personal feelings and make the decision that's best for her people.

"We have arrived at a turning point in our battle with the Mountain Men, for centuries they have turned our clans against each other. Every time we have banded together they have turned their missiles toward us." Lexa starts, looking around the room, measuring her words for the intended effect.

"Our forefathers fought valiantly, the  _Hedas_  that came before me gaining in wisdom and strength, passing the knowledge on so that we would be ready," she stops in the middle of the room and looks around once more, "the mountain thinks we are weak and it is time we showed them how strong we truly are. I will accept the  _Skaikru_  into the Coalition and together we will watch the mountain fall.  _Jus drein, jus draun_!"

The chant starts up immediately as the allied leaders stand with the Commander and echo her sentiments. Quint is unhappy with the result, but he always knew this weak Heda would once again be weakened by her affections. The Ice Nation will stand and fight with her and the Sky People for now, but when her plans fail her, Queen Morana will take her rightful place and rule over the Twelve Clans.

The contingency of the 100 all let out a collective sigh of relief at the acceptance. All sure they'd be killed off after the first leader spoke and pointed out all the reasons why the grounders didn't need them. Now more than ever they realize how lucky they are to have Clarke on their side.

"Indra start the preparations for the ceremony so we can officially welcome the  _Skaikru_  into our ranks." Lexa orders.

"Right away  _Heda_." Indra answers making her way out of the meeting hall to get the preparations started.

* * *

Half an hour later the full moon is high up in the sky and the festivities have commenced in earnest. Some of the teens are enjoying the food and drink provided to them, savoring the exotic flavor of the fruit and meat.

Octavia, Raven and Monroe are exploring some of the different stalls with Caris, who had introduced herself to them after the meeting had finally come to a close. Bellamy and Finn had both relaxed a bit more, but Finn was still on edge as Clarke had walked off with the Commander right after the meeting and had yet to return.

"Relax man, Clarke is fine, she's probably just catching up with the Commander and figuring out some logistics and stuff. She told us to have fun." Bellamy says to the anxious boy sensing his growing unease.

"It shouldn't be taking her that long to get back though, I saw them go into a tent and they still haven't come out yet. I should maybe check on her."

"Good luck getting past her guards." Bellamy jokes before walking off to catch up to his sister and the others.

All Lexa wants to do is spend the next few hours until dawn reacquainting herself with Clarke, however the blonde is insisting that they go back to the party. After multiple promises on Clarke's end to make it up to her later on in the evening Lexa finally relents for now, fully intending to get her due later on.

Just as the two make it out of the tent there's a blinding flash of light that streaks through the night sky and a deafening explosion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter tides you over for a bit since I will be on vacation, so there may not be an update until my return. But the good news in that is that chapters 9 & 10, plus Cinniuint (for all my brittana fans) and some surprise material will be coming your way for both Clexa and Brittana.
> 
> translations:
> 
> Heda ste hir "The commander is here"
> 
> Em gaf ai op yu nau "She wants to see you now"
> 
> Em ste hir weron? "She's here, where?"
> 
> Ona trimeni "In the trees"
> 
> Jus drein, jus draun! "Blood will have blood"


	9. Bad Blood pt1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a lot happening this chapter including some smut which is all ijustkeepitmoving's fault. I hope everyone is still alive, this season has been deadly and will only keep getting better. Enjoy the long awaited read, reviews are all appreciated.

The white light of the room is sterile and harsh, washing out white walls and white bedsheets, bleaching the small space. A steady beeping, like an electronic pulse, breaks an otherwise oppressive silence. The air smells of antiseptic and stale breath, very much like the sick bay rooms back on the Ark. Faint footsteps, followed by low, indecipherable murmurs, slip past the door before fading again into the endless beeping.

"You're finally awake."

There's no warning, just a short crackle and then a low, deep voice that somehow both fills the room and echoes tinnily, as if hollow.

"You're safe," the disembodied voice continues. "We rescued you and your friends from those savages and we've brought you to Mount Weather."

The relief is instantaneous. The plan had worked and he'd saved at least some of them from any further engagement with the grounders. Wells had heard Clarke and the grounders the night they were talking about the mountain and what supposedly goes on there, but as far as he's concerned, the Mountain Men weren't the ones who caused his injuries in the first place. It had taken a bit more convincing for them, but he'd managed to win over Jasper and Monty once he pointed out that the mountain might be their only salvation if the meeting with the grounder leaders didn't go well. He was fueled by the knowledge that there were people living in Mount Weather- civilized people with modern technology and weapons. He knew once he got there, he'd be safe, and what's more, he could finally tell the Ark to come home.

It was a risky plan, but he knew Raven had finished the signal flare and they'd all just been waiting for the right time to set it off. She'd hidden it in a secret compartment in her section of the dropship and showed Monty how to prime and launch it in case she wasn't around when the opportunity arose. Bellamy, Clarke and the rest of their group leaving for the grounder city couldn't have come at a better time. He knew the Ark was running out of oxygen and needed to know if Earth was livable. It's what he'd been sent down to do - his father put faith in him and Wells wasn't going to let him or anyone else on the Ark down.

"What happened?" he asks, pulling himself into a sitting position

"We saw your signal flare and sent in scouts to investigate. By the time my men arrived, you'd been surrounded by the barbarians. We had to gas you all in order to get everyone out safely."

"Okay, and where is 'everyone?' And who are you?" Wells looks around the stark white room once more, feeling a little...silly, talking to an empty room.

"Your friends are safe, you're currently in our quarantine ward so we can treat your injuries," the voice reassures. Silence follows, giving Wells time to process the information and realize that his side, which had been hurting over the last few days, actually felt better.

"My name is President Dante Wallace," the voice continued after a moment. "I'm the leader of what's left of the United States of America. Once you're out of quarantine you'll be lead to my office for a formal introduction. Rest now and I will see you in a few hours."

Assured of his own safety and those who'd stayed at the dropship, Wells relaxes and falls back into the bed, surrendering himself to unexpected exhaustion.

* * *

 

Chaos is the only way to describe the scene unfolding before her eyes. The smell of trees burning, the sound of panicked cries from scared children and the screams of their mothers echo around the city. Guards from each clan have rushed towards their leaders, using their own bodies as shields from any impending attacks.

Of course the Mountain Men would see this as a prime opportunity to attack. Every clan leader and at least half of their fighting force is in TonDC. It's the perfect strategy to turn the clans against each other and against the Skaikru. The alliance would be in shambles. Lexa hopes that by some miracle all of them have survived this attack, but right now her biggest concern is Clarke.

The minute they'd heard the sound and seen the bright streak of light she had thrown herself onto her wife covering her protectively, while the blonde struggled under Lexa in her own attempt to cover her.

After about a minute of silence Lexa pulls herself away from Clarke slightly, she quickly scans the blondes features for any signs of injury. Clarke takes the time to do the same before their eyes lock for a moment, blocking out the chaotic scene around them.

"Clarke are you alright?"

Finn runs over to them from where he'd taken cover in a nearby stall, breaking the couple's focus on each other.

"I'm fine Finn, Lexa made sure of that," Clarke confirms, all the while keeping herself between Lexa and Finn. Lexa had expressed her dislike of him just before they'd stepped back out of the tent and Clarke had promised that there was nothing to worry about.

Before Finn can respond, Octavia calls their attention back to the present.

"What the hell was that?"

"I'm not sure. It couldn't have been a missile unless it misfired or was a warning shot. And if it's the second one," Clarke swallows, her hand gripped tightly in Lexa's, "we'd better take cover."

"Warning shot?"

Bellamy rises from his spot on the ground next to his sister to join the discussion.

"Yes, to let us know that they're aware of these meetings, but they don't give warnings. Whatever that was, it didn't come from the mountain." Lexa surveys the area as she speaks. The city is still standing and it appears all the clan leaders are still alive.

"It could have just been some sort of show of force?" Clarke muses.

"It didn't come from the mountain and it wasn't a missile," Raven interrupts, her head tilted towards the still flaming sky. "It was the signal flare we'd been working on."

"What signal flare?" Bellamy snaps as everyone's attention turns to the mechanic.

"Okay, so when we first landed and you were being a super douchebag about not going to the mountain even though there was food and supplies there," Raven starts, ignoring Bellamy's glare. "Wells, Monty, Jasper, Finn, and I decided we would make a signal flare as a way of contacting the Ark and letting them know we were okay. Especially after we found Clarke and she was just as adamant as you about not going to Mount Weather."

"Why would Monty or Jasper set it off now?" Octavia demands. "It makes no sense. They know what's happening."

"Wells must have managed to talk them into it. He's always been just as talented at getting his own way as his father was," Clarke adds, not recognizing the source of her knowledge, or the venom behind her words.

Bellamy picks up his gun from where it's laying on the ground, nodding toward the flare. "We better get back to camp and see what damage that flare may have caused."

"You and the rest of the _Skaikru_ aren't going anywhere!" Quint cries as he approaches the group, his guards and warriors behind him. "I told you, _Heda_ , they cannot be trusted, this is their doing. They are working with the Mountain Men- this is a set up!"

Before Lexa can say anything Clarke rounds on Quint with her dagger in hand. "The _Skaikru_ has no ties to the Mountain Men and I won't stand for your accusations against them and your disrespect towards our _Heda_."

Lexa puts a steadying hand on Clarke's lower back and purposely steps between her and the Ice Nation ambassador. "There's no evidence that what has happened had anything to do with the mountain. We will go back to the Skaikru camp and will deal with the one who has caused this disruption. Quint, you are welcome to join us."

The man huffs and deflates slightly. "It would be my honor to accompany you, _Heda_."

"If you are ready, then we will depart now. Gustus, Indra, and Anya you ride with us and the _Skaikru_. I am eager to learn of the cause of this...disruption to my people."

* * *

 

They're gone.

All of them are gone and there are Trikru warriors on the ground, covered in blood.

There's smoke canisters and a small brush fire from where the flare was launched. Clarke and Nyko, the healer, are quick to check on the warriors. Clarke is relieved that some of them, although badly injured, are still alive.

The others spread out to search the area for any signs of the remaining 100 who had stayed at the camp. Raven immediately goes up into the dropship with Anya and Octavia on her heels to confirm if indeed the flare was used, although she already knows the answer just from the singed pieces of brush and the very concentrated smell of the rocket fuel.

"Do all signal flares cause this much damage?" The general asks while inspecting the scene around her.

"Well...not really," Raven answers, grinning. At Anya's raised brow she elaborates. "Normally a signal flare uses a chemical agent to produce a bright light without being explosive. And ideally, if you had a flare gun, then you'd use gunpowder to shoot it into the sky."

"But the one you made is different, correct?"

The look on Anya's face and her tone make Raven's spine stiffen. "Yes," she bites out. "I used some flammable materials that would take a while to burn as the base of the flare and then built essentially a small rocket and used some of the ship's rocket fuel in lieu of gunpowder."

"Rocket fuel, really Raven?" Octavia adds with a disbelieving look.

"What? I did the best with what I had to work with! It's not like we have flare guns and gunpowder just lying around," she defends.

Anya just watches on, not allowing her face to betray her amusement. She looks over the two sky girls before turning and leaving the confined space without another word.

"Dude, she's so into you," Octavia stage whispers with a smirk.

"If by 'into me', you mean 'definitely wants to kill me' then sure." The mechanic shrugs before making her own exit out of the tent with Octavia close behind.

* * *

 

Clarke kneels down before one of the injured men she recognizes from around TonDC. The two had trained together a few times, she recalls. He's got a few burns to his hands and a shallow gash to his head that leads Clarke to guess that he may have been knocked unconscious for a bit, but otherwise he should recover fairly quickly.

"Can you tell me what happened?" she asks him gently. She can feel eyes on the both of them, and hopes he can provide some answers.

"Two of the sky boys were helping one of the injured ones to go relieve himself outside the borders of the camp. There was an explosion and then we were under attack by Mountain Men. They used red smoke so we couldn't fight back, and they took the _Skaikru_ as they fell." By the time he's finished relating what happened, a small audience had gathered around him.

"There are no signs of the _Skaikru_ anywhere." Gustus confirms

"We are also missing some of our own," Anya adds, knowing the mountain had taken them as well.

Quint sees his opportunity and draws the attention to himself. "See _Heda_ , from the mouth of your own people, the _Skaikru_ has betrayed the alliance. _Jus_ _drein_ , _jus_ _daun_."

Immediately those who support him pick up the chant and start advancing towards the remaining teens. Finn and Bellamy are quick to raise their guns, and Raven pulls out a grenade, ready to prime it if necessary.

"Hold your fire!" Clarke calls out

"Lower your weapons," Lexa growls, drawing her own sword and standing next to her wife. Gustus, Anya, and Indra also draw their weapons to defend their Heda and Skai Prisa. "There will be no more bloodshed tonight. We will find those responsible for this and justice will be served, but not before then. Anyone who dares to challenge me will face the consequences. _Wamplei_ _kom_ _thauz_ _kodon_."

The others are quick to fall back into line and Quint begrudgingly puts away his own sword, obviously frustrated.

"Good, now prepare the injured to travel back to TonDC and set the pyres for the dead."

Lexa turns her hardened gaze to Quint and takes private pleasure in seeing him shrink back slightly. " _Jomp_ _em op en yu jomp_   _ai op._ " He nods to her curtly, not missing the clear warning in her words.

He'll back down for now and watch the coalition fall apart at the hands of the Skaikru. And who will be there to argue when his Queen steps in to pick up the pieces?

No one, if Quint has his way.

* * *

 

A person in a sterile suit is the first thing Wells sees when he opens his eyes again, and immediately he panics.

"Hi, it's okay, I'm Maya," the stranger introduces herself hurriedly. "I'm just here to bring you some clothes and direct you to President Wallace's office." Her sweet voice soothes him and he relaxes again as he takes the offered clothing.

"It's nice to meet you Maya. I'm Wells. Uh, thanks for the clothes."

Maya nods, though the action is mostly obscured by her safety suit, and walks out of the room to give Wells the necessary time and privacy to dress

Once he's done, he knocks on the small glass window in the door and it swings open. As he and Maya walk, Wells takes a look around at the area, noting several doors that appear to lead to rooms similar to the one he was in. The hallway is just as stark white as the quarantine room - the silver of the elevator and the red and yellow signs posted on the walls make a startling contrast to the sea of bleak uniformity.

"What about everyone else? My friends?"

"They're in your new sleeping quarters. President Wallace wanted you all to be as comfortable as possible," she informs him, smiling pleasantly. "Once you're done talking with President Wallace, I'll take you to see them, and then to the dining hall for dinner." She ushers him into a gleaming elevator, and the back of his neck prickles at the familiar feeling of being surrounded by metal on all sides.

"Sounds good to me." Being assured that he would see Monty and Jasper and the others soon does wonders for his nerves. And the promise of food certainly doesn't hurt.

The ding of the elevator announces their arrival to the floor, and the doors slide open to reveal a long corridor. Maya leads them out and towards the massive dark wooden doors at the end of a carpeted hallway. The walls themselves are lined with portraits, each having a nameplate and number announcing the subject's presidential lineage. As they approach the end of the long hallway, Wells notices immediately the one thing they have in common - all of the presidents have the last name Wallace. Maya, who has removed the head of her hazmat suit, knocks on the door and waits a moment before pushing on the polished brass handles.

The door drifts slowly open, revealing an office littered with paintings, a suit of armor, various swords and what look to be guns from different eras. There is some sort of classical music playing in the background. Wells finds himself in awe of the massive room as he makes his way inside, passing by a row of love seats on either side of a white carpet with a blue circular crest with a bald eagle emblazoned on it. He recognizes most of these things from their world history classes back on the Ark.

At the head of the room is a big wooden desk with a high backed chair facing away from him. Wells stops at the front of the desk and only then notices that Maya is no longer by his side. He turns his head to look back for his escort, but she's nowhere to be seen.

"Maya will be waiting outside once we've finished our conversation," The familiar voice of President Dante Wallace causes Wells to turn back and face the man who has finally revealed his face to him. "Why don't you have a seat, There's a lot we have to discuss."

Wells does as he's told and sits down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. "What exactly is it that we need to discuss and why with me specifically?"

"I'm assuming the signal flare you sent up wasn't for us, correct?" President Wallace asks from his seat, "and as for why you, I was given the impression by your friends Jasper and Monty, that despite your injuries you are somewhat of a leader."

"No the flare wasn't meant for you, that was more of a happy accident. There are still people alive on the Ark, including my father the chancellor," Wells begins to explain. "The Ark is facing a catastrophic systems failure with the oxygen reserves, so we can't maintain life up there for much longer. I was tasked by my father, who didn't trust the rest of the delinquents, to come down here and get to Mount Weather and make contact as soon as possible after we landed."

"Wasn't that a bit risky with Earth's toxicity?" The older man asks

"Yes, but at the time they thought they'd launched us close enough to the mountain that we'd be able to get in before being overcome by the toxic atmosphere. Obviously they got their calculations wrong" Wells mutters.

President Wallace laughs. "It seems they did, but you all managed to survive out here so far, which means that you are somewhat immune to the radioactivity, correct?"

Wells nods slowly trying to recall Raven's reasoning on the matter. "Yep, according to Raven we just have more robust DNA, especially living and working out in space it's almost the same as the conditions on Earth or something. I'm not a science type."

"That's all right,son. Thank you for telling me."

"So now what's going to happen to us and our friends still on the outside? Did the Ark even receive our signal?"

"According to my people in the control room the flare went through the atmosphere so if someone out there is watching, they will see it. And if they do come down we'll make sure to welcome them safely to Earth."

Wells feels instant relief wash over him knowing that the flare worked and he'd possibly gotten his message to the intended target. It's gone just as instantly when he remembers his concern for the group that had gone with the grounders.

"We have people stationed near your ship, they won't engage the savages just yet, but they'll be making sure no harm has come to your friends."

"Why near the ship?"

"That was a powerful flare son, I would be surprised if the grounders didn't go to investigate the cause, once they figured out it didn't come from us. You're the only other ones out here with technology."

There's a knock on the door before a well dressed man comes striding into the office. He bares a striking resemblance to president Wallace, despite the scar on his lip. "Oh sorry Dad, didn't know you had company," he apologizes before turning to Wells. "I'm Cage Wallace. You must be one of the kids we rescued from the...locals.."

Wells stands and shakes the proffered hand. "Wells Jaha. Yes I am, and I'm very grateful to your father for saving us."

"It's nice to meet you, I look forward to getting to know you and your friends a bit more over dinner, which is why I'm here, actually. Dinner is about to start soon."

President Wallace nods to his son. "We won't be long."

"Then I'll see you both out there, I've already sent Maya on ahead." Cage turns and leaves the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Duty calls, but we'll continue this conversation later. However if you know what radio frequency we may use to contact the Ark, I'd be happy to pass it on to the control room and they could give it a try." The older man offers as he rises from his seat.

Wells follows suit and waits to be lead to the dining room. "I'll check with Monty, he should know how to get in touch with them. Thanks again."

A small smile spreads across the president's face. "I'm happy to help, now let's get you some dinner. Bet you've never had chocolate cake before."

"Can't say that I have." Wells replies, following the man out of the office.

"You're in for a life changing treat then." Dante says patting the younger man on the shoulder as they head towards the elevator.

* * *

 

The arrival of the contingency that had gone out to the dropship causes quite a stir amongst the inhabitants of TonDC. Indra immediately springs into action, helping Nyko and Clarke get the wounded situated in the medical tent.

Everyone else makes their way back to their assigned areas within TonDC to brief their leaders on what they'd discovered, and inform them that there would be a meeting with Heda as soon as Clarke was done taking care of the injured.

Lexa is speaking to Anya when she notices the Sky boy, Finn making his way into the medical tent. She doesn't trust the boy or his intentions with Clarke. Although it seems like Clarke doesn't remember any past relationship with him, it doesn't appear to deter him.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Finn asks, looking around at all the injured warriors. He figures this way he can be useful and keep an eye on Clarke at the same time to make sure everything was okay. He wants to talk to her, but right now is a bit too busy for the conversation they need to have.

"Yeah sure, can you go out to the well and bring back a few buckets of water?" Clarke asks, grateful for the additional hands. Although some of the injuries are superficial, there are quite a few with deep bloody wounds that she wants to make sure aren't going to become infected before she closes them up.

Finn puts his gun down and leaves the tent to get the water, oblivious to the eyes that are on him the whole way to the well and back.

As he approaches the tent flaps he can hear Clarke speaking to someone on the other side of the flaps and he pauses for a minute to listen.

"So what's going on between you and the Commander?" Instantly he recognizes Octavia's voice and his ears perk up to the conversation being had.

"What do you mean?" Clarke asks

There's a huff before Octavia speaks again. "C'mon Clarke you'd have to be blind, deaf, and stupid not to see the way you two interact and look at each other. You seem so much more relaxed and sure of yourself around her. Hell you almost stabbed that Quint guy."

Silence befalls the conversation for a minute and Finn is curious to hear the rest. "Guess Anya is right, we really aren't as discreet as we like to think we are." Clarke chuckles

"Discreet about what? You're sleeping with the Commander!" Octavia exclaims loudly

"Octavia, there're people in here that need their rest," Clarke shushes her

"Sorry, sorry. So what's going on between you and Commander Lexa then?" Octavia persists

"Octavia, the Commander is my wife." Clarke says and Finn is so stunned at the revelation he drops both buckets of water. His entire world has just collapsed. He'd had his suspicions about what was going on between Clarke and the Commander, but he didn't expect this. He knows now more than ever that he has to get Clarke away from these people but he needs a plan. He knows taking on the Commander isn't an option, especially with all her people around.

Octavia and Clarke both jump at the unexpected noise outside and open the flaps to see Finn standing there with the water buckets spilling out at his feet. "Finn are you alright?"

Lexa and Anya who had been watching the boy lurking outside the tent, start making their way towards him as soon as they see him drop the water buckets. Lexa's pace quickens as she sees Clarke step out of the tent and his body stiffening.

"Finn?" Clarke calls out again and he finally snaps out of it.

He scratches the back of his neck with one hand and looks down sheepishly. "Um, yeah, I'm fine, sorry, I tripped," He stutters out. "I should um, go get some more water." He turns and walks away not giving Clarke a chance to respond. He needs time to come up with a plan.

"Okay, that was weird." Octavia says from her place next to Clarke.

"Is everything alright?" Lexa asks looking at Finn's retreating form.

"Yeah, he tripped on something." Clarke answers warily.

"Likely his own feet," Anya answers inspecting the area. "I'll go get the water you need." Anya gathers the two buckets to make her way to the well to refill them.

"Anya, let the other leaders know we will have our meeting at first light, they should get some rest now. I think it is what we all need."

"Yes _Heda_ ," The general answers. "Come help me with these, sky warrior." She addresses Octavia, who looks slightly confused by the name before a proud smile envelopes her face and she walks over to Anya to help her at the well.

"Are you almost done with the injured?" Lexa asks turning her attention back over to Clarke.

"Yes, I think Nyko and the others can handle it from here."

"Good, then I will wait for you to check on them before we retire to our tent."

The both of them head back into the healer's tent and Lexa goes around taking a few minutes to talk to each of her men while she waits for Clarke to finish up.

* * *

 

Lexa follows Clarke into their tent and has every intention of going right to sleep, or so she keeps telling herself as she watches Clarke strip off her clothing. Every new piece of skin that's revealed is testing Lexa's resolve for rest.

Lexa walks up to Clarke just as she drops her shirt and wraps her arms around Clarke from behind. Clarke instantly melts into her embrace and turns her head to one side as she feels Lexa's lips running up from between her shoulder blades and around the base of her neck.

"I've missed you," Clarke breathes out, feeling the exhaustion melt from her body as Lexa's hands take over the task of unbuttoning her pants. She can feel Lexa's warm breath against her neck and feels the goosebumps rising on the skin.

"I've missed you too, my love," Lexa husks into Clarke's ear, leaning in to nibble gently on the lobe. She knows it's one of Clarke's weak spots and she enjoys teasing it. Her hands finally manage to unbutton Clarke's pants and she takes her time letting her fingers descend past the waistband of Clarke's underwear.

Clarke's breathless as Lexa nips just below her earlobe, as one hand runs up her shirt and cups her breast pinching the nipple at the same time one of Lexa's fingers slide across her slit. She moans thrusting into Lexa's hand.

"You feel so good Clarke," Lexa says as she plunges her fingers deeper encouraged by the loud moan that escapes Clarke's lips. She adds another finger into Clarke's heat, twisting her fingers as she thrusts them up and in just as Clarke thrusts her hips down.

Their rhythm is fast and frantic, making up for lost time. Clarke throws her head back to lean on Lexa's shoulder. Her hands are flung back pulling Lexa as close as she can by her hair. She can feel her climax building that much higher. She pushes back into Lexa's hand rubbing her clit against the palm of her hand which just adds to the friction.

Lexa is thrusting as hard and deep as she can from her position behind Clarke. She can tell her wife is close and she wants to tip her over the edge. She sinks her teeth into Clarke's shoulder just above her tattoo and tightens her grip on the breast she has in hand.

Clarke swears she can feel the earth shaking beneath her feet as her orgasm engulfs her. "Lexa! Yes, Lexa!"

Just as Clarke reaches her peak Anya comes rushing into the tent. She's unfazed by the glare Lexa shoots her as she walks in.

"What is it Anya! I asked not to be disturbed."

"Another sky ship has crashed just North of the city. The one you call Raven called it the Ark." She announces and watches as Clarke sobers from her ecstasy and turns to look at her.

"They're here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> translations:
> 
> jus drein jus daun - blood must have blood
> 
> wamplei Kom thauz kodon - death by a thousand cuts
> 
> jomp em op en yu jomp ai op - attack them and you attack me


	10. Bad Blood pt.2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Only happy endings here

"They're here," Clarke says hoarsely.

"I will gather the ambassadors into the meeting hall. It should give you two time to compose yourselves." Anya exits the tent, giving orders to the guards outside not to let anyone else come in.

Lexa releases Clarke from her hold and turns her around to face her. Clarke's face is still flushed from their previous activities- and maybe a tinge of embarrassment at being caught by Anya yet again. Lexa runs her thumbs over the apples of Clarke's cheeks while looking in her eyes.

"I'm okay, we have to get to the ship and check for survivors before the Mountain Men get to them." Clarke's eyes never leave Lexa's as she speaks.

"I agree, but I think we should send the scouts ahead of us tonight." At Clarke's disbelieving look, Lexa presses on. "It has been a long day for us all. We would do better to have the scouts check for survivors and keep track of them overnight. Once dawn breaks and we have rested, we will leave and have one of the scouts meet us an hour out from the crash site."

"What if the Mountain Men manage to get to them first? A handful of scouts won't be able to take them on."

Lexa nods at this. "I will send Gustus with additional soldiers to secure the area."

"Okay," Clarke relents. "Let's go get everything organized so that we can head out first thing in the morning."

They take the time to straighten out each other's clothing, using the last few moments they have to just be with each other, sharing small touches in the silence. Once each is satisfied the other looks presentable, they leave the tent together to address the clan representatives that are waiting in the meeting hall.

* * *

 

"For millennia there have been stories amongst our people, handed down through generations of the Great War and those who left Earth to live peacefully in the sky. In every generation since the war, there have been tales of people falling from the sky - and our generation is no different. Clarke was the first of her kind to fall from the sky, followed by the _Skaikru_ , small in numbers, but not without knowledge and their own kind of strength."

Lexa pauses her address, eyes scanning the crowd around her. Finally she locks eyes with Clarke across the room, just long enough to catch a glimpse of the affectionate look her wife is giving her, and then she continues. "As you all may now know, a few of the _Skaikru_ who remained on the outskirts of TonDC used some kind of signal device to alert the rest of their people to their whereabouts. This is no time to be afraid of the Sky People we will encounter. Their battle is not with us and we will not attack unless attacked." She shoots Quint a warning glare as the words leave her mouth and he lowers his head.

Satisfied that Quint received her unspoken warning, Lexa resumes her speech. "As we speak, Anya and her team of scouts are preparing to depart and secure the landing area. They will keep watch over the ship that has landed from a distance and check for survivors. Gustus and Tristan will take a team of warriors and follow behind the scouts and set a perimeter watch around them in case the Mountain Men decide to send out their own scouts. Any Mountain Man will be captured alive and brought back for questioning. That is all." Gustus and Tristan both nod their understanding when she looks over to them before leaving to gather their teams.

"What are the rest of us to do then _Heda_?" Luna asks.

"I would ask you, Luna, and the other leaders to help Indra in protecting TonDC and the surrounding villages as well as the 100 camp." Lexa answers.

"And what of yourself _Heda_?" Luna questions further and Lexa can tell she's already working out the plan.

"Clarke and I will escort the _Skaikru_ so they can reunite with the new arrivals."

Lexa sees a flash of concern pass through Luna's eyes, but it's very well concealed a moment later. "Is it wise to send the _Skaikru_ to engage with those who held no regard for their lives and sent them down here to die? You would also be putting yourself directly in harm's way, _Heda_."

Lexa recognizes that Luna's questions stem not from disrespect but a need to express concern, and Lexa appreciates it. She knows that as leader of the twelve clans, there are those among them that wish to see her dead, if only so they might rise to power or see someone of their own clan become the next Heda. Luna, however, is her friend and holds no such aspirations.

"I have to second Luna's opinion _Heda_ , especially with your own guards out in the woods, you would be more vulnerable to attack, despite the protection offered by the _Skai_ _Prisa_." Caris adds gently.

"I thank you both for your opinions on the matter," Lexa nods in their direction. "However, in the interest of forming a peaceful relationship with all of the _Skaikru_ , I feel it would be best for them to see their children first, so they do not feel threatened by us."

Not yet satisfied, Caris persists. " _Heda_ , as I am of a similar age as the _Skaikru_ , I would like to offer my assistance in protecting you and them, should there be any threats posed."

Lexa turns her eyes to Clarke who gives her a slight nod. Although, Lexa didn't want anyone putting themselves in any undue risk, she appreciates Caris' offer and knows it will put Clarke's mind at ease to have at least one more skilled fighter in their ranks.

"Thank you Caris, it will be an honor to have you by my side."

"The honor is mine, Heda."

Lexa gives Caris a small nod then turns her attention to where those of the 100 are sitting with Clarke.

" _Skaikru_ , rest now. We will be departing as soon as the sun is past the horizon, and the journey will be long."

All that is left is for the clan leaders to agree on patrols for TonDC and the surrounding villages, as well as the dropship. Once this is accomplished, the gathering disperses to finish any last chores or preparations before the day ends.

* * *

 

A few minutes after the meeting has ended Clarke finds herself in bed, wrapped up in the warm arms of her wife. Lexa's front is pressed to her back and she's peppering Clarke's tattooed shoulder with kisses. Clarke feels safe and content in this moment, she's slowly running her nails over the back of Lexa's forearm, something she discovered relaxes the brunette, and she feels Lexa mold further against her.

"Mm, that feels nice Lex." Clarke hums as Lexa's kisses move up her neck.

"If only we had more time," Lexa responds between kisses. "Why must your people crash their ships at the most inopportune times?"

Clarke lets out a laugh at her wife's words. She pulls Lexa's arm up and kisses along her palm before resting it back on her stomach. "I choose to look at it from the perspective of them being in the right place, at the wrong time."

"Always the optimist."

"Someone has to be."

Lexa laughs at Clarke's words. She'd missed their banter over the last month and is glad to have Clarke back in her arms. "I really have missed you."

"I've missed you too love," Clarke responds while giving Lexa's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Once this is all over I think we should spend some time alone together."

"I would love nothing more." Lexa's warm breath against Clarke's back sends shivers down her spine. Lexa squeezes her tighter in response, pressing a few more soft kisses to her shoulder blade.

"We should get some rest, I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a very long day," Clarke offers.

"Probably."

A comfortable silence befalls the couple as they both start to sink into sleep. Just as Lexa is about to fall under, she hears her name fall from Clarke's lips and hums in acknowledgement.

"I just want you to know that no matter what happens tomorrow, I love you and that won't change." Clarke confesses quietly. She knows her memory coming back and having a dramatic effect on their relationship is something Lexa is worried about, even if she doesn't voice it. But Clarke also knows that nothing that she may learn from these new arrivals can change the way she feels about Lexa and their love. Their spirits are meant for each other.

Lexa squeezes Clarke to let her know she's heard and understands the meaning in her words. "I love you too Clarke."

Finally both women succumb to their exhaustion warm between the furs and in each other's arms.

* * *

 

The first rays of sunshine are coming over the ridge of the horizon in front of them as they follow Ryder's lead towards the wreckage. The thick black smoke billowing into the morning sky is easy enough to follow to the landing zone. They're making good time, which Clarke is happy for since she knows it will take the Mountain Men longer to traverse the forest to get to the Ark, as Raven called it.

"Are you okay bro?" Octavia asks Bellamy noticing him nervously scanning the area, gun held tight and eyes shifting from place to place.

"Yeah I'm fine O, just wondering who came down." He answers his sister although distractedly. A small part of him hoping there aren't any survivors or at least none from the council. He sleeps with the guilt every night of what he had to do in order to get on the ship with his sister, but knows he'd do it again. Octavia is his responsibility and he'd sworn to protect her.

"Well it doesn't matter, because they aren't in charge down here." Octavia says confidently and Bellamy shoots her a more relaxed smile.

"You're right, sis, they aren't."

Raven finds herself in a rather interesting position walking next to Clarke and the Commander, both of them war-paint free and big hoods covering almost all of their faces, and both uncharacteristically unarmed. The two are as close as two people can be without actually touching. Clarke seems much more at ease around Commander Lexa, and Raven wonders if there is more going on between them than meets the eye.

"So what's with the hoods?" Raven asks to start up a conversation, and hopefully learn a bit more about the two women. Finn was trailing behind the group, sulking, and she's had enough of him and his attitude since they found Clarke. Raven knows she's much better off without him weighing her down with his negativity.

Raven is surprised when the Commander is the one who answers her question. "Clarke and I are valuable targets to the mountain."

The answer is simple and efficiently vague Raven notes. It doesn't nothing to sate her curiosity.

"I understand why you'd be a valuable target, but why Clarke?" She pushes

Once again Lexa is the one who answers her. "The mountain would target Clarke because of who she is to me."

Noticing that the conversation may be going into dangerous territory, Clarke steps in to change the subject, before Raven can ask for more clarification than her wife is ready to give to a stranger.

"Do you think anyone actually made it out alive?"

"Well we didn't think you made it, but here you are so there's definitely a chance," Raven answers. "Although, I doubt it landed intact. With all those G-forces it's more than likely the Ark may have come apart during re-entry."

"Is it possible the Ark finally just ran out of oxygen and fell to Earth?" Monroe asks from behind Raven. "I mean we've been down here for a month and the reason they sent us down is to see if Earth was habitable to begin with."

"Yeah, Monroe has a point, we may just find a ghost ship," Fox adds. "this could have been a failed last ditch effort to get down here."

"Even if that's the case they may have some salvageable supplies that may come in handy during winter." Clarke reasons, although she hopes that there are survivors and that at least one of them would be able to help her finally unlock her memories.

Over the course of the last few weeks she's spent with the 100 she's had some flashbacks to her life in space, but it's still a big, jumbled puzzle to her, with not enough pieces to put it all back together yet.

Clarke reaches out and squeezes Lexa's hand discreetly and although Lexa keeps her eyes forward, the responding squeeze is enough to reassure Clarke that Lexa understands what the touch means.

* * *

 

The sound of an approaching horse causes Ryder to stop in his tracks. Lexa and Clarke both pull up short beside him as the scout nears. It's Reza who pulls her horse to a stop in front of them.

"What have you found?" Lexa asks.

"The ship that has landed is much larger in size than the one the _Skaikru_ came in," Reza starts to explain before Clarke cuts in.

"Are there any signs of life?"

"Yes there are people moving about and many of them have weapons in hand."

"Does anyone look to be injured?"

"There are a few, but it seems they have a _fisa_ with them. She is caring for their wounds as best she can."

"Thank you Reza. Return to Anya and inform her we will be arriving shortly." Lexa orders the scout. Reza bows her head respectfully before turning her horse and riding back through the forest.

Lexa turns her attention to group. "We are about an hour away from where the ship has landed. Now that we know there are survivors, and for our own safety, Ryder you will join the others in the trees once we are closer."

The gigantic guard merely grunts his acknowledgement and waits for them to start off again.

"Caris and I will stay on with you to make sure no harm comes to you," Lexa continues

"No offense, but is that really a good idea?" Raven asks, before clarifying. "The Ark may have been a big place, but most everyone knows everyone and you two will stand out."

"Raven has a point. And you're all unarmed, so they may try to capture you." Bellamy adds.

"The best weapons are the ones not easily detected," Caris answers. "But you are right, it may be best for us to blend further in amongst you as a precaution. Heda?"

A simple nod is all the answer Lexa gives before the group starts moving again. Caris moves towards the back of the group behind Bellamy, while Lexa and Clarke move to the middle of the pack.

"I will be as close as you need me to be," Lexa tells Clarke, who'd gripped her hand in a slight show of nerves.

"Just stay out of harm's way, promise."

"I will do my best."

* * *

 

The smell of smoke, charred earth and burning wood is almost overpowering as the group gather just outside of view of the Ark. A large section of the big metal ship is twisted and cracked, but mostly in tact, reflecting light from the rising sun overhead. Movement and voices can clearly be heard from their vantage point amongst the trees.

Ryder had swiftly ascended and blended into a large tree that overlooked the wreckage. The branches of the tree extend almost directly over the crash site, perfect in case he needs to jump out to assist.

"Okay so what's the plan now?" Octavia asks.

"I think a couple of us should go out first and draw the attention of the guard," Bellamy suggests. "Once they see it's us and they lower their weapons then the rest will follow."

"I'll head out in the first wave." Harper volunteers.

"Finn and I will go with you," Raven says. "C'mon Finn, you can use some of your charm to make sure they don't shoot us."

"Once we get the all clear, I think you and I should go next Bellamy," Clarke speaks up. "Lexa and Caris can blend in with Octavia and the others."

"That could work, just keep your hoods up and your heads down," Bellamy agrees.

"See you guys on the other side," Raven calls as the first three break through the forest and head slowly towards the ship.

The others watch on as the guards spot them and call out towards them to identify themselves. Raven is the one who answers for the group and asks if everyone on board is alright. Clarke hears a familiar voice call from somewhere inside the ship for the guards to lower their weapons and open the gates.

An older brunette woman steps out of the makeshift gate and asks the three teens, "Are you the only ones here?" She's flanked by two armed guards, a tall blonde female and a muscular bald man.

"No, there's a couple more of us in the forest, we saw the guards and wanted to make sure we'd be welcome before everyone else came out." Finn answers calmly and everyone is relieved his odd behavior is abandoned for the moment.

"Let them know they can come out, we won't hurt them," the brunette answers authoritatively.

Raven turns around and whistles as a signal to the others.

Bellamy turns to Clarke. "You ready Princess?" She takes a deep breath and straightens out her posture then steps up to Bellamy. The two slowly walk out from the cover of the trees.

Clarke sees the strangely familiar-looking woman staring at her, mouth agape and eyes wide. Clarke's brows pull together as they get closer to the others at the front of the fallen ship.

"Clarke?" the woman calls out through a breathless gasp. "Oh my God, Clarke is that you?"

She throws her arms around Clarke as soon as the girl is close enough and pulls her into an embrace. Clarke stiffens for a moment before her own arms are around the woman, her face buried in the brunette locks. Clarke's whole body relaxes for a moment.

The words are out of her mouth before she even realizes what's happening. "Mom."

Engulfed in the familiar scent of her mother's shampoo, Clarke's memories hit her like a turbulent wave. She's sure if her mother wasn't holding onto her she'd have stumbled back from the force of her memories.

"Clarke, I can't believe you're alive," her mother, Abby, whispers into Clarke's ear pulling her daughter tighter against her. "I thought I'd lost you forever."

Lexa is moving swiftly between the teens as she makes her way to Clarke with Caris hot on her heels, both reaching for their concealed weapons. Lexa had seen it almost instantly, the minute shift in Clarke's posture as she stiffened in the woman's hold. Something isn't right.

Clarke pulls out of the hug and that's when Abby notices the cold, enraged look in her daughter's eyes. Abby's relief soon turns to anguish and guilt, but she doesn't have a chance to process those feelings as they are quickly replaced by gripping fear. The blade of Clarke's knife is pressed tightly to her throat, while she's being held in place by Clarke's arm that was still around her. Abby can hear her guards beside her shouting at Clarke to drop her weapon, but her eyes are fixed on Clarke's as the next words fly out of her mouth.

"You killed him!"

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My heart is just as broken as yours, but Lexa will live on in all our stories and I promise only happy endings in all my stories. 
> 
> Reshwe Heda- rest in peace Heda


	11. Who Says You Can't Go Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So Abby has a knife to her neck, wonder how this will end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am doing a double update today of both this fic and its companion piece "in the silent moments" is interconnected with that and thank you to Fairytaleslayer for the help with this idea. There is no code307 in this fic and if you need to know what that is hit me up on tumblr. Also shoutout to the clexakru at wondercon and please keep donating to the Trevor project and let us keep doing all the good work we are doing. This fight is not over, it will never be over!

"You killed him! He trusted you and you killed him! I was locked up because of _you_!"Clarke angrily accuses.

Abby, can hear the sound of guns being cocked from behind, and in front of her she can feel a sharp blade pressed against her neck not quite breaking the skin.

None of that matters in the moment though because she's looking into the fierce blue eyes of her daughter. In this moment she is both elated and shocked that her daughter had somehow managed to survive her fall to the ground. She thought she'd lost Clarke the day her jail cell had broken loose from the Ark three years ago. The last three years she'd been grieving over the loss of her husband and her only child. She thought she'd be doomed to living out her days in space alone. A fate she'd condemned herself to.

"Drop the knife, Clarke - and the rest of you delinquents lower your weapons or I will be forced to drop all of you." Captain Byrne's threatening words draw Abby back to the situation. She has to do something to calm everyone down before she loses Clarke for good this time. She can see the little red beams aimed at Clarke's heart and her head. Abby's own heart clenches at the thought.

"Captain," Abby calls out over her right shoulder where she knows the captain is standing. "Lower your weapons."

"I can't do that, Chancellor," the captain answers. Abby knows Byrne is just doing her job, but she can't be responsible for the death of her own daughter. Not again.

"Chancellor." The words roll off of Clarke's tongue and her brows pinch together the way they used to when she was little and trying to figure out a puzzle. Slowly Abby watches as her face smooths out and a tiny smile plays on her lips. She's figured out the puzzle. Clarke's eyes briefly shift over to the girl flanking her left side, but her grip on the dagger never wavers. The brunette in turn doesn't shift from her defensive position, but somehow Abby knows she's acknowledged Clarke, whose eyes are now staring back at her.

"Lower your weapons now or we will shoot!" Byrne threatens again.

"You can try, but you'll be dead before your finger pulls the trigger," Clarke replies, her voice carrying clearly across the open field.

"You really think any of these delinquents can take on an entire squadron of trained officers? I thought you were smarter than that Clarke," Byrne taunts.

Clarke stays calm despite the baiting. "I wasn't talking about them. If you were really paying attention, you'd have realized by now you're surrounded."

To her credit, Captain Byrne's only sign of insecurity at this new knowledge is a slight shift in her posture.

"I don't buy that for a second."

"Have one of your guards in the tower search the trees and tell you what he sees." Clarke knows that Lexa had signaled to Anya and that her and a few of the others would be just visible enough to be seen, but not fired upon.

One of the guards mutters what sounds like a curse. "What do you see Seamus?" Byrne asks.

"There are at least six archers in the trees ma'am all arrows pointed at you." the guardsmen answers.

"And those are just the ones you can see." Clarke adds in.

"You're bluffing." The older blonde challenges.

"Yeah, probably not, actually. We've been with them for days and there's half an army in the trees and more than enough to storm this place and kill you all," Raven adds cheerfully from behind Clarke.

"Clarke, we will lower our weapons if you lower yours. I'm sure your intent here isn't to kill us. Please let's talk about this," Abby implores.

Clarke knows Abby is right, that settling the score with her mother isn't what they are here for. She's ashamed to have lost all control like that, but she's got a job to do. "You're right, this isn't why we are here." Clarke slowly lowers her knife from her mother's throat and the others behind her lower their weapons as well.

"Captain," Abby warns and is relieved when the red dots disappear from Clarke's body. "So what happens now?"

"The Commander has questions for you, _Chancellor_." Clarke spits and Abby almost recoils at the sudden resurgence of venom in her daughter's voice.

"The Commander? Is that who is forcing you into this Clarke? You don't have to be afraid anymore, we can protect you and the rest of the kids. We'll keep you safe now," Abby promises.

"By locking us up again? Right," Clarke challenges spitefully. "We aren't here to start a war with you, but believe me when I tell you, this is your only opportunity for peace."

The words sting Abby and she has to fight back tears and swallow the lump in her throat. "Tell your Commander he will be welcomed here."

"We'll be back by midday to talk, and I hope we'll have a warmer reception this time."

Clarke and the two women beside her all sheath their weapons and start pulling away, back towards the delinquents. Abby's eyes flit over to them and land on Raven. The girl had practically become a surrogate daughter to her over the course of the last year and a half, their bond having grown out of mutual loss.

"Clarke, wait the kids can stay with us," Abby calls out.

"They are coming back with us for their own protection," Clarke rebuffs.

"Protection from their own people, Clarke?" Byrne calls in offended.

"Yes. If memory serves, Captain, _their people_ sent them down here to die. What makes you think you deserve the opportunity to endanger them again?"

Abby's shoulders slump at the weight of the accusation and she just nods. Clarke turns her back on her mother once the group reaches the tree line and disappears into the forest with the others. Abby barely registers as a minute later the guardsman in the tower calls the all clear, indicating he can no longer spot the archers in the trees.

"Chancellor, are you alright?" Byrne asks.

"Yes, I'm fine Captain," Abby answers flatly. "We should prepare for the Commander's arrival."

"Let's get you inside first and then we'll talk to the council," Byrne urges and Abby agrees, allowing herself to be ushered inside the walls of the Ark.

* * *

 

Lexa grabs onto Clarke's wrist as they make it into the trees and slows their pace so they fall a few steps behind the others. "Are you alright, Clarke? What happened?" Her voice is barely more than a whisper but she knows Clarke has heard her.

"I just..I.. I don't know," Clarke fumbles over her words, then lets out a sigh of frustration. Lexa runs her thumb over Clarke's pulse point in an attempt to calm her. Clarke stops walking completely and wraps her arms around Lexa, burying her face in her wife's neck. Lexa's response is immediate as she tightens her arms around Clarke. She can feel Clarke's shoulders shaking and the moisture of tears hitting her neck and soaking into her shirt. Clarke burrows deeper into the comforting embrace to quiet her sobs.

Lexa places a soft kiss on the side of Clarke's head and runs her hands over her back slowly. Although they have pressing matters to attend to, Lexa knows Clarke needs this right now, something happened during the encounter and her houmon needs this time to process.

"I remember, Lexa, I remember everything," Clarke whispers into her wife's skin once she's managed to calm herself a bit. She feels Lexa tense under her and she finally pulls her face away and looks Lexa in the eyes. The two are silent for a few moments and then Clarke leans in to place a gentle kiss on Lexa's lips. Lexa instantly relaxes and guides Clarke deeper into the kiss.

Reluctantly they both pull back to take in a lungful of air and Clarke sees the concern still etched into Lexa's features. "My heart still belongs to you, all that changes now is that you finally have all of me."

"You've always been whole to me Clarke, we will talk about the rest later." The two share another kiss before they break apart and continue moving to catch up with the rest of the group.

* * *

 

Clarke sidles up next to Raven as she's having breakfast alone. The brunette takes a look at her companion and nods in greeting. "Shouldn't you and your wife be plotting your next move?

Clarke is taken aback for a moment, since she'd only revealed the status of their relationship to Octavia. "How'd you know?"

Raven raises an eyebrow at the blonde. "Clarke, I really wish you'd stop underestimating my powers of observation. Since you took us to meet the Commander it's been obvious there's something going on between you two and now you've just confirmed it."

Clarke chuckles and rolls her eyes at Raven's words. "I shouldn't be surprised really, I mean you did figure out my amnesia before everyone else as well."

"Have to be observant and quick thinking to be the best zero G mechanic in 52 years." Raven gloats with a wink.

"And modest too."

"I'm confident, the engineers are cocky." Raven throws back.

"My dad was an engineer," Clarke says, abruptly sober, her voice cracking slightly.

"Yeah, he was and he was a great man too," Raven sighs. "I take it you've got your memory back?"

"Yes, everything sort of came back when my mother hugged me."

"So I guess you have questions for me then?"

"Very observant," Clarke jokes to try and break some of the tension. "Why didn't you tell me about Finn?"

"If I remember correctly, we were sort of interrupted by Wells being harpooned," Raven answers flatly. "I also may have been a bit selfish. I figured as long as you didn't remember, you wouldn't give him the time of day and he'd eventually just give up."

"Finn is stubbornly persistent though. He pursued me for three months until I finally gave in and agreed to go on a date with him." Clarke laughs at the memory.

"Yeah, that's why after the battle with the reapers I confronted him about it and we agreed to go our separate ways." Raven huffs, then takes another bite of her breakfast.

"I'm sorry Raven, I know how much he means to you. I never meant to come between you guys," Clarke apologizes.

Raven just shrugs. "It's no big deal. Trust me, I bounce back quickly."

"I'm sure you've already got a few people swooning." Clarke nudges Raven's shoulder playfully.

"I wouldn't blame them," Raven jokes back. "So what else is on your mind, O Fearless Leader?"

"You really are good," Clarke smiles briefly before growing serious again. "I noticed back at the Ark, my mother kept looking at you too. What was that about?"

There's a slight edge to Clarke's voice as she speaks about her mother and Raven understands the history behind Clarke's hostility. She and Abby had spent much of their free time talking and one day Abby had opened up about what happened with her husband and why Clarke had been arrested shortly after he'd been floated. Raven knows it's a delicate subject and she'd spent quite a few nights comforting Abby about her guilt over the whole mess.

"She's not a bad person, Clarke, she's just had to make some tough choices." Raven offers cautiously. When Clarke doesn't comment, she continues speaking. "The two of us grew close after Finn was arrested. She was checking on a prisoner and I was visiting Finn when we ran into each other and just started talking. She recognized me from my work with your dad."

Clarke nods once and waits for Raven to continue after she takes a drink of her water. "Things on the Ark were really bad, Clarke. Kids and elderly people were getting sick, people were getting panicky. And to make matters worse, any petty crime would get you floated unless you were underage. Anyone who opposed the new laws would just mysteriously disappear. Remember Callie Cartwig? It was like one day she was there and the next she was gone."

"Because there wasn't enough oxygen for everyone," Clarke states and Raven hums.

"The council had decided that something needed to be done in order to ensure survival of those who were still healthy. Jaha proposed sending down a hundred of the healthiest prisoners to Earth to see if it would be habitable."

"The healthiest being those nobody would miss if they all of a sudden disappeared, you mean,"

Raven nods her head solemnly, taking Clarke's bitterness in stride.

"Pretty much. There was a slim chance this would actually work, but your mom knew that sending down a bunch of teenagers unsupervised might not be the best idea. She brought it up at the meeting and Jaha agreed. That's how Wells ended up on board. He was supposed to be the one to report back to the Ark once they landed and if they survived long enough to make it to Mount Weather."

Clarke scoffs. Of course Jaha would try to find a way to save his legacy even if it meant sending his son on a potential suicide mission. "So how did you end up on the dropship? You're over 18, shouldn't they have floated you for whatever crime you committed?"

"Ah, that's the good part," Raven grins. "I had been hearing rumours about what was going to happen and I confronted your mother about it. That's when _she_ revealed she had a plan to get me on the ship."

Clarke frowns at this new information and Raven pats her thigh. "Like I said, she's not a bad person. She didn't want me dying on the Ark, but she knew they'd float me if I were arrested. She'd been talking to Sinclair and together the two devised a plan."

Raven smiles as she thinks back to the days leading up to her arrest and all the things that could have gone wrong with the plan. "I would get arrested, just before the council meeting and when I was brought in on my charges, the two of them would point out to Jaha and the others that sending me down on the dropship would be better because of my awesome skills, and if Mount Weather was locked up, I probably have the technical knowledge to get it back up and running."

"So they painted you as the only hope a bunch of unskilled, underage prisoners had at survival on Earth?" Clarke is impressed at what she's hearing, and it is definitely helping her see her mother in a different light. It doesn't erase the pain and betrayal of how her father met his fate, but it certainly helps to mend a few cracks.

"She basically saved my life, Clarke. She couldn't save you or your dad, but she tried to make up for her mistakes with me," Raven explains. "I think whatever happens when we go back to the Ark, you should give her a chance and hear her out."

"Thanks Raven, I'll definitely think about it," Clarke swears.

"Good, now that that's out of the way, I have another question for you," Raven says, her eyes showing nothing but mischief.

Suspicious, Clarke nods slowly. " _Alright_."

Raven runs her eyes along the length of Clarke's body before asking the question that's been on her mind since they left the Ark.

"Where exactly did you hide that knife and can you teach me?"

Clarke laughs at the question, the tension of the previous subjects quickly dissipating. She stands up and Raven deflates thinking Clarke is about to leave her hanging, until she jerks her arms downward and two small blades drop from her sleeves, she sets them down then bends over retrieving two more blades from her boots. Raven thinks she's done but realizes the knife she had when they were at the Ark was bigger than the ones she's pulled out. The blonde undoes a few buttons on her jacket to reveal a custom harness with hilts sticking out of it. There's another blade on the inside of her thigh which is concealed by the length of her coat. Finally she reaches into her shirt and unsheathed the dagger she had used earlier.

"Sometimes the best weapons are the ones not easily spotted." Clarke answers

"Holy shit, dude, you're like a war machine! How'd you even find so many knives?" Raven asks stunned and impressed. "Are there any more?"

Clarke's amused by Raven's reaction. "Obviously there's more, but those are for me to know. And as for how I got them, they were all mostly gifts from Lexa, she wanted to make sure I could protect myself."

Raven just shakes her head. "You really are combat Barbie," she mutters and Clarke smirks.

"As for teaching you, I can certainly show you how to hide them, but Anya is definitely the one who should train you to fight," Clarke offers with a coy smile as she begins to stow away her knives once more.

"Okay, sure, except she hates me and I'm pretty sure is just waiting for her chance to gut me or something."

Clarke pats Raven on the shoulder and gives her a warm smile. "Trust me, if Anya didn't like you, you wouldn't be walking around right now. Besides, she told me you're the most tolerable of the sky children."

"The highest form of praise I'm sure." Raven snarks back.

The two are interrupted by the sound of a throat clearing behind them, both look back to see Lexa standing there, eyes on Raven. Lexa shares the same opinion of Raven that Anya does, although she suspects there's more to Anya's estimation than her mentor is ready to admit.

Clarke smiles picking up and re-sheathing her dagger before turning to face Lexa. Raven is quick to stand and follow suit.

"Is everything alright?" Lexa asks turning her eyes to Clarke.

"Yes, Raven was just helping me fill in some holes in my memory," Clarke answers. "Are we ready to go?"

"Soon… We should start preparing."

Clarke nods. She turns to Raven who simply waves her off with a roll of her eyes, before turning back to Lexa. The two walk back to their shared tent, bodies close, but never quite touching. Raven smiles as she watches them go.

"Yup. Totally married. I called it.

* * *

 

"Let me get this straight. Clarke Griffin is alive and we are going to be negotiating with a bunch of kids that we sent down here in the first place?" Charles Pike, one of the surviving council members, questions. "All because they tricked you into thinking they had an army in the woods?"

Others in the room murmur their agreement. Before the conversation can grow, Marcus Kane, another council member speaks up. "Unlikely as it is, she did survive and so did they. That being the case, it's highly likely that others survived the bombs and have been surviving here for the last ninety seven years."

"Or Clarke, one of my best Earth Skills students, survived her landing and found a fallout shelter and used the skills I taught her to survive," Pike counters haughtily.

"Don't flatter yourself Pike, she would have been severely injured during reentry, never mind crash landing without a seatbelt or parachute to break the fall. Without proper medical care, even if she survived, the potential for infection from her wounds should have killed her. So there have to have been people who found her and took care of her" Jackson, an Ark Doctor and one of the newly elected council members on Earth, retorts.

The bickering continues while Abby replays the morning's events in her mind and tries to figure things out. She's still reeling from the knowledge that Clarke is alive, but she fears that the girl- no the woman that stood before her is not the Clarke she used to know. Even after she'd been arrested and was furious at Abby there was still a gentleness to her that always reminded Abby of Jake. But today outside the gates all semblance of that gentleness was gone, hidden behind a frigid mask of hostility. Abby desperately needs to know what happened to her daughter during the last three years. She hopes this meeting goes well enough so that she can spend some time with her daughter.

Her mind continues to wander to the two women who had flanked Clarke, especially the brunette guarding her left side, and how Clarke had looked to her before lowering her knife. She wonders who this woman might be to Clarke. All Abby is certain about is that neither she nor the other woman at Clarke's side were ever patients of hers on the Ark.

"There are people who somehow managed to survive the blast." She murmurs, more to herself than the other members of the council, but they all hear her words and stop speaking.

"What makes you say that, Abby?" Kane asks, voice filled with concern.

"The two girls that were next to Clarke, they aren't from the Ark." Abby answers absently, still lost in thought.

"There were thousands of people on the Ark, you can't be sure they aren't ours." Pike challenges, unwilling to believe others could have survived in such harsh environments for the last 97 years.

"If anyone could be sure, it would be the Chancellor. Working in the sickbay, everyone has been through there at least once. Same with unity day," Jackson backs Abby.

"Octavia Blake," Officer Miller calls and everyone turns to him. "It's very possible Aurora Blake wasn't the only one hiding another child, so no it's not possible that we knew everyone on the Ark."

"We are going around in circles in a pointless argument," Sinclair huffs out, annoyed. "Raven said Clarke wasn't bluffing and Raven Reyes doesn't lie. In fact, as I recall, she used to take great pleasure out of pointing out the truth wherever possible. These kids have had the advantage of time and Clarke on their side, we should be thankful they survived and have made some connections with the...locals, I guess? Grounders, I think I heard one of the kids say."

"Sinclair has a point," Kane interjects. "If Clarke and those kids have made some kind of peace with these...grounders, then they've laid the groundwork for us. We aren't prepared to fight any wars right now, so instead of arguing about this we should be preparing for negotiations."

"Negotiations?" Pike interrupts, "Negotiations over what? They need us and our resources. We can cultivate this land with our technology - this place can be ours."

"I think if they've survived for nearly a hundred years so far without us that it's safe to assume that we need them more than they need us," Kane challenges . "We should try and see how we can mutually benefit."

"Chancellor, what is your position on the matter?" Jackson asks, pulling Abby out of her wandering thoughts. Despite her distraction, she's able to rejoin the conversation with ease.

"I think Marcus is right. There may be a lot we can learn from them, and vice versa. However, if what Raven said is correct about the army there is obviously something they need from us as well, otherwise they'd have wiped us out," Abby reasons.

"The kids wouldn't have allowed that, Abby. Clarke wouldn't allow that," Marcus defends.

" _The kids_ hold no allegiance to us, Marcus. In case you forgot we sent them here to die and Clarke I saw today is not the daughter I raised. I don't know what's happened to her over the last three years, but the girl I talked to out there was a far cry from my daughter. I think right now the only person we can trust is Raven. I have...I have a bond with her, and I know she won't lie to me. Especially about something so important."

Just then the doors open and one of the guards steps in, "They're on the way back and there's a lot more of them this time," he announces, failing to hide the fear in his voice.

Abby stands. "Thank you, Daniels. When they get closer open the gates and we'll be out to greet them." The guard nods and leaves the room. "Looks like our time is up. Let's go greet the grounders."

* * *

 

"Isn't this a bit much?" Monroe asks Octavia.

"No, because they need to know who's in charge before they try to take over."

"A necessary show of force, especially after this morning." Harper chimes in.

"I wonder what happened to Jaha?" Fox muses.

"He may not have made it through re-entry, we won't know much until we actually get there." Raven answers, eyes forward as they continue to march at a steady pace towards the Ark.

"Well, whatever happens I just hope their water systems are up and running. I'd kill for a proper shower." At that, everyone in earshot turns to stare at Harper, who just shrugs. "What? I like being clean!"

They all laugh and feel some of the building tension dissipate, even if just for a few moments.

Clarke looks back at the sound of the laughter and smiles, glad that her friends have found something to be cheerful about, however brief it may be. She's lagging slightly behind Lexa, Anya, and Gustus, who are engaged in a rather serious conversation. Ryder stays by her side as a quiet and comforting presence on the journey.

At about a hundred yards out from the entrance Gustus calls out the order to stop the march. "We will be going inside with the Skaikru. It will be your duty to stay here and keep guard. This is a meeting of peace." His voice booms loudly over the crowd and the nods he gets in return let him know his unspoken warning is received.

As they approach the open gates, Clarke and Lexa are quickly flanked by Gustus and Anya while the rest of the Skaikru fall in line behind them and Lexa's guards. The tower guards have their weapons lowered and just inside the gates Clarke spots her mother and a delegation of what she assumes to be the council standing there waiting to greet them.

The imposing guards form a protective barrier around the skaikru as they walk inside. The gathered crowd of onlookers can only stare and gasp at the sight of the grounders. Some back away and pull their children along to keep them safe and out of sight. The sound of the gates closing behind them signals the complete arrival of the party.

Abby looks on nervously, her eyes trained on Clarke and only shifting to see who else is in the group with her daughter. Abby takes a deep breath and steps forward to greet the imposing man who must be the commander. "Commander, it is a pleasure to have you amongst us. We are grateful to you for taking care of our children and we hope these meetings will be fruitful for both our peoples."

She turns and encourages the others on the council to come forward and one by one they do. "These are the members of our council, Marcus Kane, Charles Pike, our Chief Engineer Sinclair, Doctor Jackson, and Captains Miller and Byrne, who head our security forces. I am Abby Griffin, Chancellor of Camp Jaha." Abby extends her hand towards the silent man before her who merely grips it and nods.

Feeling the eyes of everyone on camp and the tension in the air Abby decides it's time to go to the meeting room. "Maybe we should move this to somewhere more private?" She suggests and again only receives a nod. "The kids are welcome to stay in our camp, look around, find their families and friends if they want."

"They go where we go." Clarke speaks up for the first time. Abby is about to refuse her idea, but Marcus gives her arm a firm squeeze and she silently relents, turning to lead the way to the meeting hall.

 


	12. Hello

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abby finds out who the real Commander is...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the long overdue chapter 12! good news is that chapter 13 is done and there is over 2k of chapter 14 currently written. chapter 13 will probably be posted once I have had a chance to go over it a few times. Also I blame Fairytaleslayer for all the Ranya in this and all other chapters!

The air in the hallway leading to the meeting room is stale and tastes of metal. The groaning and whining sounds that echo in the small passageway are unnerving and have several hands reaching for concealed weapons missed during the disarmament search. There's a persistent drip of water pinging as it hits a metal surface and the crackle of exposed wires.

"What is that noise?" Anya whispers to Raven, who startles for a minute not expecting the proximity or gentleness of the warrior's voice.

Equally as quiet Raven replies. "It's the generators that are keeping this place running. The lights, the water system, and the vents which have probably been re-purposed to clean the outside air and circulate it through the deepest parts of the ship."

Although the air outside has gotten steadily cooler since they got to Earth, it's much colder inside the ship. Raven knows that means they're having problems keeping everything running as it should. "It seems there may be massive structural damage as well. They may have had to transfer power from non-essential areas to keep the lights on and clean water running."

Anya merely grunts in understanding. Raven can tell she's on edge and she hopes her explanation has at least eased her somewhat. As they carry on toward their destination a steam pipe roars under the pressure and Anya covers Raven moving her out of the way.

Raven giggles quietly at the reaction. "Easy there General it's just a steam pipe nothing to worry about."

"I don't know how you sky people could live in such conditions." Anya mumbles under her breath and Raven just chuckles a bit, but keeps close to the tall blonde, feeling comforted by her presence.

Lexa can feel the tension rolling off of Clarke in waves, her eyes are continually scanning the area as if searching for something, she keeps fidgeting with the string on her coat. Lexa makes use of the narrowing hallway to take hold of Clarke's wrist. Instantly Clarke relaxes at the touch and Lexa realises just how comforted she feels as well, her own tense muscles loosen if only slightly.

Clarke shifts their hands and gives Lexa's a comforting squeeze. She knows this closed up environment must have her wife feeling uneasy and even if it's only for a few moments she wants to reassure her and keep her grounded. Lexa keeps her eyes forward but squeezes back, which makes Clarke smile just a bit.

Abby's mind is running at a million miles a second. While she should be focused on the point of this meeting, all she can do is try to keep moving forward and not turning to look at Clarke or the brunette who seems to never leave her side. Now that she has had a chance to really look at them both when they walked in she noticed the brunette is wearing Jake's watch, he gave the family heirloom to Clarke just before he was floated. She needs to get Raven alone so she can find out what the extent of their relationship is and Clarke's connection if any to the Commander. The burly man in question is walking a few paces behind her and despite his size his steps are silent. Her mind is reeling with all the scenarios of what could have lead Clarke to be accepted by these people.

Captains Miller and Byrne, who are leading the way to the meeting room, stop in front of a reinforced steel hatch. Captain Miller opens the door and stands to the side letting everyone pass. In the small space of the room is where the councillors realize the sheer size of some of the grounder representatives and guards.

"Commander, please have a seat." Abby says to the man as she and the councillors take their seats at the table. She is baffled when the guards spread out and the Commander pulls out two chairs before stepping back to allow Clarke and the brunette beside her to sit down. Once both are seated the blonde female guard stands behind Clarke and the Commander stands behind the Brunette.

Abby doesn't have time to question what is going on as Clarke begins speaking. "Chancellor Griffin, I present to you, Heda Leksa Kom Trikru, Commander of the Twelve Clans." She says turning to the brunette sitting next to her.

Silence befalls the room for a moment and then Abby is on her feet enraged. "Do you think this is some kind of joke Clarke? She's just a kid! How is _she_ the _Commander_?" She turns her attention to the man she thought was the leader and his face is impassive.

" _Chancellor_ , we are not here to discuss my leadership role." Lexa says authoritatively leaving no room for argument.

Abby remains standing her eyes shift from the Commander to Clarke's stoic face, she turns her eyes to Raven standing next to the guard behind Clarke and the mechanic merely shrugs her shoulders unhelpfully. Begrudgingly Abby gives in and takes her seat in front of the too young Commander. "So Commander Lexa, My daughter said you had some questions for us?"

"I have not come to ask questions Chancellor, I have come to let you know, you and your people have been banished from my lands. You have until sundown tomorrow to leave and a contingency of my guards will escort you." Lexa announces to the surprise of most everyone in the room.

"What do you mean banished? On what grounds?" Abby fires off her questions.

"The ship you sent down with the Skaikru destroyed one of our villages killing all its inhabitants. This Ark is poisoning our soil and has destroyed many of our natural resources." Lexa doesn't miss a beat. "The blood of those villagers is on your hands and I am being more lenient than necessary Chancellor, now either you leave or I will wipe you all out. You have until sundown tomorrow."

As if she's issued a command Clarke and Lexa are both on their feet, tail ends of their coats swaying with the movement of their bodies, and the rest of the delegation is already moving towards the doors with the remaining hundred. The council members are sat in silence as if frozen in place by the words spoken by the brazen young leader.

The last thing Abby registers is Raven giving her a determined nod before following the others out of the room.

* * *

 

"What was that?" Clarke turns on Lexa as soon as they're inside their tent. "That wasn't the plan!"

"Plans change during war, Clarke." Lexa responds unfazed by her wife's outburst.

"That's not an answer, Titus is right you are so stubborn." Clarke huffs crossing her arms over her chest.

Lexa smiles and wraps her arms around Clarke and plants a soft kiss to her temple. "You and Titus finally agree on something." She jokes.

"Only because you've proved his point." Clarke mumbles into Lexa's shoulder.

After another minute passes and Lexa feels Clarke relax slightly in her arms she pulls back slowly from the embrace. "I don't trust them, Clarke." her tone is much softer now

"You're being rather generous with people you don't trust, why is that?" Clarke asks before she plants a gentle kiss on Lexa's lips.

Lexa pulls back from the kiss and sighs. "Nothing gets past you."

"You learned that a long time ago, so what's really going on?"

"Your memories have returned Clarke and I don't know what happened in the field earlier, but she is still your mother and I know you have questions for her," Lexa responds gently. "Banishment was the only way to have them pay for their crimes without having to kill them."

"You're giving them a chance to redeem themselves and earn your trust." Clarke says catching on to her wife's thought process.

Lexa nods. "If they prove they can be trusted then we will make an alliance with them."

"How are they supposed to prove that in a day's time?"

"I am sure your mother will find a way, if you are anything to judge her by."

"Fair enough and I will talk to her later on," Clarke states.

"Now do you want to discuss what happened on the Ark?" Lexa gently questions.

"And I'm the perceptive one." Clarke sighs with a small smile.

Lexa squeezes Clarke's shoulders as she looks deeply into the eyes she loves so much. "You can talk to me."

"I know," Clarke sighs. "It's just difficult. When we were in the field and I hugged my mother it's like all the pieces of the puzzle finally fit together."

Lexa nods and pulls Clarke to the chairs near the war table. She angles her body so she can still hold Clarke's hands and encourage her to continue.

"The letter my dad gave me just makes so much sense now and I understand why he didn't want me to be angry with her. She's the reason he got floated and I blamed Wells, I was so angry at him Lexa." Clarke's eyes well with tears and her voice breaks.

Lexa is quick to move and pull her wife into her arms, running her hands down her back. "It's okay Clarke, you didn't know."

"No it's not Lex," Clarke says through her sobs. "I was so angry at him and he never said anything, I wouldn't even see him and he was just trying to protect my relationship with my mother," she takes a shaky breath in trying to calm herself a bit."Even with my memory gone I never gave him a chance, he's in that Mountain because of me and if something happens to him, how am I going to live with myself? He's my best friend"

Lexa just holds her tighter, her own heart breaking for her love. "When we went into the Ark everything, my life there and the emotions associated with that life just hit me. When we were in the field it was just all the memories but not the intensity of the emotions." Clarke tries her best to explain what she's feeling. "The passageway we took also lead to our sleeping quarters, Wells and I spent so much time together. We watched movies and sports with my dad. The mess hall down a few corridors the place where Thelonious, Wells' dad taught us chess and strategic thinking. It was all just so vivid like it happened yesterday."

She stops speaking then and wraps her arms tighter around Lexa, using her presence as an anchor to reality. Lexa presses soothing kisses into her temple and holds her as tightly as possible. She wishes she could absorb the pain so Clarke didn't have to feel it. There's more to be said and discussed but for now she knows all her _houmon_ needs is her physical comfort.

* * *

 

"So should we start packing our stuff too?" Raven asks the question that's been burning in her mind since they left the Ark.

"There's no need for that, _Heda's_ order only applies to those on the Ark." Lincoln answers from where he's sitting across from Raven and the rest of the group of teens.

"How come it doesn't apply to us? " Bellamy follows up.

"You've proven your worth to _Heda_." Caris replies. "You're all brave warriors and with enough training you will hone your skills."

"Where exactly are they sending them?" Raven asks again.

"The southern territory." Anya answers her eyes not moving from the blade she's sharpening.

"What's there?" Raven tries again, exasperated by the vague answers.

"Nothing much except outcasts and waste land." Caris is the one to answer the question this time.

"Well you have to talk to her then and make her change her mind about the banishment." Raven orders Anya.

The General's head shoots up and she looks at Raven as if she'd slapped her. "I do not take orders from you sky girl and _Heda's_ decisions are final." her voice is low and threatening, but it doesn't deter Raven.

"Look I know the rest of you might not care, but fact is Abby is the closest thing I have to a mother. Miller's dad survived and I'm sure others parents have too, we can't just let them be sent off."

"What would you have us do exactly, Raven?" Finn challenges."The Commander's decision is final, even _Clarke_ didn't say anything and Chancellor Griffin is her actual mother, so what makes you think we can change her mind?"

Raven is about to issue a rebuttal when their attention is drawn to a commotion at the entrance of the camp. Anya, Caris and Lincoln are on their feet weapons drawn with the others following behind them to see what's going on.

Abby and a few or her Ark guards are at the entrance to the encampment weapons drawn on both sides. "We aren't here to start a fight, I just want to speak to the kids and the Commander." Abby calls out sounding almost desperate.

Gustus pushes through the crowd and orders the guards to stand down. "Chancellor you may pass but your guards will have to disarm or remain here."

Two of the four guards hand over their weapons to their colleagues and follow Abby inside. "Thank you, I need to see the Commander." she says a bit calmer this time.

Gustus merely nods and indicates for them to follow him. As they make their way through, Abby scans her surroundings trying to memorize as much as she can and make sure if they need it she knows where all the kids are being kept. Her eyes land on Raven for a few seconds, the girl's face is tight with concern. Abby halts her movements and changes course towards the girl. "If you don't mind can I speak to Raven for a minute first?" she calls to Gustus, who stops a few paces ahead and nods.

Raven and Abby walk out of earshot of their onlookers. "What do I need to know before I go in there?" Abby whispers just in case.

"First of all, you need to get out of this somehow, they are banishing you guys to the southern wastelands." Raven answers cautiously looking around to make sure they really are alone.

"Wait, they aren't sending you all away?" Abby questions and Raven shakes her head in the negative.

"The Commander trusts us, we proved ourselves during the battle with the Reapers."

"What are Reapers?"

"They are some kind of genetically modified warrior hybrids. I don't know what or who lives in the mountain, but they kidnap the warriors from the clans and then turn them into these freakishly strong, hard to kill, cannibalistic monsters. I mean we threw grenades at these things and they were still going." Raven explains trying to contain her hand gestures.

Raven pauses a moment to allow Abby to absorb the information. "It was a hard fought battle but we won and after that we met with the Commander and she accepted us as part of their alliance, because they see us as the key to taking down the Mountain Men."

"Mountain Men?" Abby asks.

"That's what they call those who live in the mountain," Raven clarifies and Abby nods her understanding. "Anyway later that night as we are celebrating the alliance, there's this massive explosion near the dropship, apparently Wells and a few others set off the flare I'd been working on to signal you. By the time we got back to the ship, the grounders who were left to guard them were injured or unconscious and some of them and all of the kids were gone."

"The Mountain Men took them?" Raven nods solemnly. "So whatever they are doing to the grounders they may do to them too?"

"It's a possibility."

"We have to get them out of there!" Abby exclaims.

"Yeah, but we need a plan first otherwise you guys will be banished and they'll be turned into monsters."

"You said the grounders view you guys as the key to their victory against the mountain."

"Clarke actually used that as an argument to get us in the alliance." Raven supplies noticing the wheels turning in Abby's head.

"What's Clarke's role amongst these people? What's going on between her and the Commander?"

"You'll have to ask her about that." Raven says not wanting to reveal Clarke's relationship.

"You're right, I better head off and see her. Thank you Raven." the older woman says before pulling the girl into a hug.

Raven squeezes her a bit tighter. "Anytime doc."

The two pull away and go back to where Gustus and the guards are waiting for Abby, they part ways and Gustus leads them down the path to the largest tent in the settlement.

* * *

 

The two guards standing in front of the flaps bow their heads in respect as Gustus walks by with Abby on his heels. As soon as they'd gone through, the two sentries block the Ark guards from going into the tent. They want to protest but they are unarmed and outmatched so they stand just outside the tent on high alert and follow Abby's previous instructions to scope out the camp.

" _Heda_ ," Gustus calls into the large tent. "Chancellor Griffin _Kom Skaikru_ is here to see you."

" _Sha_ Gus." Lexa acknowledges.

Before Lexa comes out he turns to face Abby. "If you so much as _look_ at them the wrong way, I will make you regret coming to Earth." he threatens lowly before stepping back as the flaps to the bedroom quarters are pushed open.

Clarke walks out with Lexa right behind her. Abby's eyeing the both of them suspiciously, but she has no time to dwell on this development, she's here for her people.

Lexa takes a seat on her imposing throne and Clarke stands beside her, back ramrod straight. "Chancellor, I take it you've made your decision?" Lexa addresses her.

Abby sets her jaw before she answers. "We won't be leaving and you won't be eradicating us either."

"That's a rather bold statement for someone in your position Chancellor. What makes you think I'll be changing my mind?" Lexa leans forward slightly.

"I'm a doctor by profession and I have a ship full of scientists who have all specialized in different fields."

Lexa is intrigued to see where Abby is going with her logic and simply nods for her to continue.

"Raven told me about the Mountain Men and the Reapers, I know if given the chance we could figure out what they've done to them and a way to fix it."

"Impossible!" Gustus calls out. Abby startles having forgotten the man was even there.

Any further protests he has dies on his tongue with the simple raise of the Commander's hand. Abby wonders how this young leader wields her power so effectively that such a gesture is enough to silence a man three times her size.

Abby continues to look on waiting for an answer as the Commander looks to Clarke almost as if asking for her opinion. The two lean into each other and Abby can see Clarke is whispering something to her, but despite the quiet of the room and her straining ears, she can't make out what's being said. After a minute Clarke pulls back slightly and the Commander raises a questioning brow, Clarke responds with a barely perceptible nod before retaking her original position.

"Beyond a Reaper what else do you need to make this attempt?" Lexa addresses Abby once more

"I'll need Raven to come back and help the engineers to assess the damage to the ship and see what we can do about powering the sick bay and it's equipment to run the tests." Abby is quick to answer and Lexa waits for her to continue.

"Obviously we'll also need more time at least two weeks." Abby pushes.

"You have three days Chancellor." Lexa says.

"Three days? That's…"

"A luxury," Clarke cuts her mother off. "That you are wasting by arguing for more time than you deserve."

Abby is about to challenge her daughter but the Commander steps in before she has the chance. "Gustus will arrange a few of my warriors to escort you and Raven back to the Ark so you can get started and I will send out a hunting party at first light to get you a Reaper."

Although she doesn't dismiss her, Abby can tell by her tone that there's no room for argument and the conversation is over. She stands from her seat and bows her head. "Thank you for your time Commander." she grits out before leaving the tent with Gustus following closely behind.

Inside the tent Clarke drops into Lexa's lap and buries her face in the crook of her neck. "Do you really think this is going to work?"

Lexa runs a soothing hand up Clarke's back and kisses the crown of her head. "She's your mother Clarke, she's stubbornly determined to take care of her people. Between her and Raven they'll find a way."

Clarke sighs melting more into Lexa's embrace. "I hope you're right."

* * *

 

Anya doesn't know what a spring or a coil is or what spring loaded means. She's not exactly sure how her and Raven's conversation about hidden weapons had turned into the sky girl talking about weapons under or inside of boots or something to that effect she really can't follow the girl's enthusiastic musings.

Anya just nods and makes a noise of agreement whenever she thinks it's appropriate, although she's not sure Raven is even talking to her anymore at this point.

She's mid sentence hands in the air when she suddenly stops speaking and drops her hands. The abrupt action catches Anya's attention and she looks up only to see Raven starring in the direction of Lexa and Clarke's tent. The blonde turns to see what's caught the brunette's eyes and sees the Chancellor and her guards followed by Gustus making their way over to them.

Anya stands slightly in front of Raven as they get closer. She looks to Gustus who gives her a look that signifies for her to stand down so she takes a step back, but fixes her eyes on the Chancellor.

"So what happened in there?" Raven asks breaking the tension filled silence.

"I bought us some time, but I need you to come with me if this plan is going to work." Abby answers her voice low.

"Okay I'll grab my stuff and we can get going you can fill me in on the way." Raven says before moving off to go grab her bag from the tent that had been set up for them.

" _What's going on? We are not to let any of the Skaikru go back there._ " Anya asks in their native language.

" _Calm yourself Anya, they will be escorted back by our own men_." Gustus tells her in kind, his voice remaining calm.

" _I will go with them then_." Anya decides.

Gustus' face remains stoic but she can see the question in his eyes. " _Very well, you will be in command, but you must return by first light to lead the hunting party."_

"We have enough food, why is there a hunt necessary?" She questions.

" _It may be best if you speak to Heda before you depart_." Is all he says before Anya takes off in the direction they'd just come from.

Abby has no idea what that exchange was about, but she wants to get out of this place and back to the Ark as soon as possible so they can get started.

"Anya and a few others will be accompanying you back to your ship," Gustus answers the unasked question. "She is one of the Commander's most trusted Generals and will keep you safe and the others in line."

Abby nods her understanding as she spots Raven coming back with a heavy looking duffle bag slung over her shoulder.

"I'm ready, let's go." she calls out to Abby and the guards.

"We're waiting on our escort back." Abby informs just as Anya, Clarke and Lexa step out of the tent. The three women seem to be deep in conversation.

Anya nods to whatever Clarke is telling her before gripping her forearm and then turning to do the same with Lexa. The tall blonde makes her way back to the group after grabbing her weapons.

"What's happening?" Octavia asks noticing Raven leaving with Abby and the Ark guards.

"Raven is going to try and save them isn't she?" Finn huffs with his arms crossed as he watches them exit the gates.

"She's doing What she thinks is best for her people and that's to be respected." Lexa answers with a sharp glare to Finn. The boy shrinks back and she smirks slightly.

* * *

 

It took a few hours but Raven and Sinclair have finally managed to do a full assessment of the ship and it's worse than Raven had initially suspected. The two are now sitting in the communications room with Anya standing sentry just outside the door. Raven isn't sure what her orders are, but she hasn't let Raven out of her sight since they got to the Ark. Two of the grounder guards were stationed just outside the ship and the other two came inside with them but never left their assigned post.

"Remind me again why we are in the communications room, tinkering with the radios instead of working on getting the med-bay setup?" Sinclair asks while watching Raven fuse together some wires.

"Because I'm thinking and you know I do my best work, when I am working on something else." Raven answers as she continues her work.

"And what exactly is it that you are working on now?"

"When we were at the dropship I noticed the mountain had big antennas and since the Ark separated on re-entry, maybe the others survived," she starts her explanation. "I'm hoping if their radio system's aren't as screwed up as this one, we can ping them and maybe locate where they may have landed by using the mountain's antenna to boost our FRS signal over a greater radius."

"Doesn't that mean that the mountain would hear the communications as well?" Sinclair questions.

"Depends on what frequency they are using and what frequency we are using, it may just seem like static or random white noise to them." Raven responds with a shrug.

"Well, good luck." Sinclair stands and stretches his limbs. "I am off to bed, tomorrow is going to be a long day and I hope you'll have a plan by then."

"I will, don't worry and good night." Raven smiles at the man who is the closest thing she's ever had to a father as he walks out the door. Since she never knew her real father, sometimes it was easy to imagine Sinclair as her dad. She shrugs off the thought and continues her work for a while until she has the signal going out, before moving on to another project.

Anya walks into the room she's in and sits on the vacated stool. "Shouldn't you be sleeping before the Reaper hunt tomorrow?" Raven asks her.

"That would be an easier task if my ward saw it fit to get some sleep." is the reply she gets from the warrior.

Raven blushes slightly at her words. "Sorry I get lost in my work sometimes, but I am just finishing up so we can find someplace to sleep."

Anya just nods and settles in content to wait for the sky girl to finish her work.

After another hour Raven finally puts her tools down stretching her back and feeling the stiffness in her muscles dissipate. "Okay, I'm done for now, Let's catch some z's"

"Catch what?" Anya queries with a puzzled look on her face.

"It's an expression, I have much to teach you." Raven jokes as she leads the way out of the communications bay and towards Abby's sleeping quarters where a space had been cleared for them.

* * *

 

"So doc I hear you have some good news for us." Cage asks Doctor Tsing, as he walks into her office.

The two have been working on a venture for years now to find a way to get them out of the mountain. The arrival of these kids from space might just be their ticket out.

"During the surgery on Mr. Jaha, I managed to extract some bone marrow from him." the Doctor answers.

"He didn't notice?" Cage questions

"I'm good at what I do Cage and we are far beyond the archaic days of bone marrow extraction through highly invasive surgery." the Doctor says.

Cage smirks at her with a conceding nod. "Okay so don't keep me in suspense."

"I was able to extract enough material to produce new stem cells. All I need now is someone to test it and see what happens when they go outside."

"Well doc consider me your guinea pig." Cage volunteers eagerly.

"I'll prepare the transfusion and we can run the test tomorrow then." She agrees just as there's a knock on the door. "Come in."

"Ma'am." the control tower guard greets the doctor before turning to Cage. "Sir, we need you in the tower."

"What is it Emerson?" Cage asks as he stands up.

"The ship that landed, seems someone is sending a radio signal." Emerson informs him.

"A signal, nobody is saying anything?"

"Yes, nobody is on the other end that we can determine or they don't want to answer to us."

"Thanks for letting me know Emerson, I have an idea I'll meet you in the tower." Cage tells him before going in the direction of the sleeping quarters.

He knocks on the door before entering and going to Wells' bunk. "Hey Wells." he whispers and watches as the boy stirs from his slumber.

"Cage," he mumbles sleepily. "What's wrong?"

"Nothings wrong I just need you to come with me for a few minutes." Cage assures before stepping back allowing the boy to get out of bed.

Wells grabs his shirt from the end of the bed and throws it on. He shakes his head trying to clear the last remnants of sleep. "Okay I'm awake, what's up?"

"Follow me, I'll explain on the way." the older man says as he leads the way out. Once they're out the door and halfway down the hall he starts to speak. "We didn't want to say anything until we could confirm it, but we've finally been able to and you need to know."

"Okay what is it?" Wells prods.

"It seems that a part of the Ark landed sometime yesterday." Cage announces.

"Really? Have you made contact? Are there any survivors?" Wells rattles off urgently.

Cage grips him by the shoulders and looks him in the eyes. "Calm down, yes they landed and we weren't sure there were survivors, our scouts had to turn back because the grounders were already there."

"Clarke." Wells grits out.

Cage nods. "It seems they've hunkered down there across from the fallen Ark," he confirms. "But it seems that there are survivors and they're sending out a radio signal for us, my guys don't know the frequency otherwise they could pick it up and maybe get someone on the other end."

Wells face lights up at the information. There are people alive on the Ark, his dad may be alive and reaching out to them. "I know the frequency and call signs, get me to a radio and I'll let them know we are here and we are okay. We need to get them here safely."

"Don't worry Wells, we'll find a way." Cage reassures the young man. "Let's get to the control room."

The two walk down a few more halls and then Cage opens the door to the control center. Wells is in awe as he looks around at all the monitors and his eyes zero in on one that seems to be aimed to the forest where the dropship landed and he catches a glimpse of one that seems to be located in their sleeping quarters.

"Wells, what's the frequency we should be at?" Cage gets his attention before he can be sure and he gives them the needed information.

"Okay we are tuned in." the technician says.

"Wells have a seat and give em a call." Cage instructs him.

The boy sits down and takes the radio, shaking off his suspicions for now. "Jaha to Earth station, come in Earth station." he speaks into the device and waits a few minutes before trying again.

After the fifth time he's losing hope of anyone answering when suddenly there's a crackle on the other end. " _Earth station to Jaha, come in Jaha."_

"Earth station Identify." Wells speaks not recognizing the voice on the other end.

" _Charles Pike."_

"Professor Pike, it's good to hear from you. Where's my dad? Is everything okay?"

" _Jaha, the signal is breaking up. Are the kids alright?"_

"Yes we are safe in the mountain." Wells speaks louder.

The radio crackles again for a few moments with silence on the other end. The next few words come across broken and unclear. Wells looks at Emerson and Cage.

"It may be their signal, with the damage the ship sustained it's probably causing issues."

"Jaha come in _."_ Pike calls back over the radio waiting to hear back. He just happened to be passing by when he heard a voice calling over the radio. When he heard Jaha, he immediately thought it was Thelonious, but when he listened in again the voice was much too young and he realised it must be Jaha's son Wells calling from the mountain.

The connection wasn't great but he'd heard enough to know they were safe in the mountain. He thinks the radio may have died as he hasn't heard any response back from his last call out.

" _Clarke can't be trusted."_ Are the last words he hears before the radio sparks and the signal dies out.


	13. Fog of War Pt.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raven is not amused by all the horns going off!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "love is love is love is love is love, and love cannot be killed or swept aside." - Lin-Manuel Miranda.
> 
> The events over the weekend especially considering most of us are celebrating pride month were definitely a blow, but this speech definitely helped me to feel better. I hope you can all find happiness and love and never be afraid to be who you are.
> 
> I love you all.
> 
> chapter 14 is in progress and the next chapter of in the silent moments will be posted tomorrow (It's a mega chapter over 5k thanks to Fairytaleslayer) it is tied in with chapter 14 and all other chapters of in the silent moments will have a stronger connection to chapters in TSIF.

* * *

The sound of a booming chorus of horns in the distance startles Raven awake and she bolts upright in bed looking around frantically for the cause of the noise. "What the hell is that!" she calls to no one.

Her heart nearly stops when the seemingly empty room answers her back. "It's the call to hunt."

"Holy fuck!" Raven curses. "I'm really going to need to put some bells on you! Why are you even awake at whatever godforsaken hour this is?"

"I am the leader of the hunting party and we are gathering shortly to go get the Reapers you need." Anya answers unfazed by Raven's dramatics.

"Why can't you hunt after sunrise?" Raven asks throwing herself back onto her bed, her arm thrown across her eyes. She never thought she would ever consider the bunks on the Ark comfortable, but after the last few months of sleeping in the dropship or on the floor in a tent she is more than welcoming of the hard mattress and lumpy pillow.

"The element of surprise is key, especially if we are going into the tunnels that run under the mountain." Anya says as she finishes applying her war paint.

Raven begrudgingly climbs out of her bed and throws her shirt and jacket back on, before pulling on her shoes. "You do not have to come with me, you can stay and rest." Anya tells her.

"I was working on something that I think you guys would need for your hunt." Raven says, rummaging around under her bed. She produces 6 black clubs and Anya raises a skeptical brow at her. "Just trust me General, now let's get out of here, you have Reapers to catch."

Anya just shrugs following Raven out of the door making their way outside of the metal ship. Anya is relieved to be outside in the fresh air again after a night of being cooped up in that place. She's not sure how Raven even managed to sleep so soundly with the constant mechanical noises.

The sun hasn't even begun to rise yet, Raven notices as they step outside and she grumbles even more under her breath.

"What are you two doing up so early?" Abby catches their attention.

"Could ask you the same thing Doc." Raven turns to see her exiting the ship.

"I am the Chancellor, it's my job to be up before everyone else and it's hard to sleep with all those horns going off."

"I know how you feel." Raven retorts.

"You still haven't answered my question though." Abby pushes.

"The hunting party will be departing shortly, I have to return to camp to make sure everything is in order, we need to get to the tunnels before the Mountain Men realize we are there and Raven says she has something that will assist us in the hunt." Anya recaps not wanting to waste anymore time.

"What she said." Raven concurs and follows after the warrior as they head back to the grounder camp. Abby sighs and pulls her jacket closed as she goes after them.

* * *

Lexa is helping Clarke sheath her last blade when Anya, Raven and her mother walk into the camp. Lincoln, who is finishing up his own war paint, alerts them to their presence.

"I didn't think your mother and Raven would be joining us." He states.

Clarke and Lexa both look up and follow his eye line. Clarke heaves a sigh. "They aren't, they're supposed to be working on a containment area for the Reapers."

"Clarke," Abby calls when she notices her daughter dressed in battle gear with black paint covering her face. "What are you doing?"

"Getting ready to catch the Reapers you need for your plan," she answers unamused. "Shouldn't the two of you be at the Ark making sure everything you need is working " Clarke eyes her mother and then Raven.

"We'll be going right back after I show you what I brought you guys." Raven defends dropping her bag on the ground and crouching beside it to open it. Just as she pulls out one of the black batons she raises her eyes and sees Finn and Bellamy approaching, guns in hand. _Perfect_ she thinks to herself as she stands.

"You guys are right on time to help me with my demonstration." She calls to the two as they get closer to her. Everyone else turns to see them coming and Clarke tries to contain her annoyance.

"Where are you two going?" Clarke asks them.

"With you to catch the Reapers, you're going to need our help." Bellamy answers. After they'd found out about the plan, Finn and Bellamy agreed amongst themselves that they'd join the hunters. Bellamy wanting to prove he could be a leader, while Finn kept his motives close to heart.

"What makes you think we need you and your weapons? You two will only get in the way and slow us down. You will remain here." Anya declares. She doesn't want a repeat of the last time. Finn had proved himself to be less than useless then and she didn't need him or Bellamy around mucking things up. The last thing she wants is to get them all captured or killed by the mountain.

"We aren't under your command, if Clarke is going so are we, she's one of ours." Finn challenges chest puffed out.

"Anya is leading the hunters, so if you were coming with us then you'd be under her command." Clarke speaks up having had enough of the both of them. "She's also right when she says you'd be slowing us down, if you want to help you'll stay back here and out of harm's way or you'd go help Raven with setting up the Ark for when we get back."

"I could use the extra muscles, Bell." Raven cuts in before either can protest again.

"Sometimes being a leader means staying back," Clarke softens her tone looking at Bellamy, she knows he's just trying to prove to himself he can be a leader, but he still lacks a great deal of training. "Right now I need you to stay behind and help Raven so we can protect the others, please Bellamy."

Bellamy huffs out a sigh. "Fine, but you better come back in one piece." he relents.

"Always do." Clarke smiles relieved to have that situation under control.

"I'm still going," Finn announces. "I thought I lost you once Clarke I'm not going to let anything happen to you again. I'm not letting you out of my sight, especially if you're going to be going into a dangerous situation."

Lexa grips the hilt of the dagger strapped to her leg and turns her glare on Finn, who doesn't notice her death stare.

Luckily for him Raven does and she steps in again. "You guys need to get going soon and we need to get back to the ship, all this jabbering away doesn't help anyone."

"You are right Raven, we are wasting time. So how is a baton supposed to help the hunters capture Reapers?" Lexa asks turning her focus away from Finn.

"The hunters?" Abby cuts in before Raven can answer, the mechanic huffs out an annoyed sigh at yet another interruption. "What do you mean the hunters? Aren't you going with them, you're supposed to be the _Commander_ aren't you?"

"Again we have better things to do than stand around here listening to you questioning our ways _Chancellor_." Clarke speaks up, glaring at her mother.

"Yes and in the name of getting things moving," Raven says drawing attention back to herself once more. "These batons, as you call them are actually shock sticks, Clarke I'm sure you remember them fondly."

Clarke only grunts and nods for Raven to continue on.

"Well as you may or may not know at full strength these can take out your average full grown male and he'll stay down for about five to ten minutes." Raven explains. "Considering these Reapers could withstand a grenade and you guys can't exactly kill them, I modified these shock sticks so that at full power they'd be able to take out ten grown men for about thirty minutes."

"That will work on a Reaper?" Anya questions skeptically.

"Of course, all you need to do is get in range of them and aim for any exposed area like this." Raven demonstrates by reaching out and hitting Finn in the neck. Everyone watches on as he twitches before hitting the ground out cold. "See and that's on low."

"We'll take them." Clarke says while trying to hide a smile.

Raven hands her the one she'd just used on Finn with a smirk. "You can keep this one."

Once the group of six hunters is geared up with masks and hoods on, they start saying their goodbyes before they depart.

Lexa clasps hands with Clarke. "Be careful and swift, my love. I will see you when you return." Lexa says quietly enough that only Clarke will hear her.

"Be patient,"Clarke replies turning her gaze to her mother. "and keep your spirit right where it is. I will return to you before the sun has set." she promises as usual.

The two pull away and Clarke rejoins the group as they follow Lincoln out of the gates and towards the nearest tunnel entrance.

"If something happens to my daughter, it'll be on you Commander." Abby turns to Lexa once the hunters are well beyond the gates.

"Clarke is stronger and much more capable than you believe her to be Chancellor," Lexa counters. "and if something were to happen to her it would be because she's trying to save _your_ people. My guards will escort you back to your ship when you are ready to leave, I have other things to attend to."

Lexa walks off flanked by two guards back to her tent and gives them orders not to let anyone inside.

"I guess that means we should go back to the Ark and get to work then." Raven shrugs and steps over Finn's still prone body towards the men waiting to see them back to the Ark.

"What about him?" Bellamy asks looking at the boy on the ground.

"He'll be fine, in theory he should regain consciousness in another fifteen minutes." Raven dismisses. "We've got a lot left to do before they get back."

Abby takes one last look around the camp before following Raven and Bellamy back to the Ark. Her insides twisting with worry for her daughter.

* * *

The stench of blood and rotting flesh mixed into the damp air of the dark tunnel is the first indicator that they're heading the right way. The journey to the tunnels hadn't taken as long as expected thanks to Lincoln's maps of the area. They'd made it into the tunnel just as the first streams of sunlight were coming up over the horizon.

Anya who is leading the group signals for them to halt as they hear shuffling and groaning in the distance.

"The tunnels will only get smaller from here as we get directly under the mountain." Lincoln whispers to the group.

"We will need to lure at least two of them away from the others so we can capture them." Anya says. "Clarke and Lincoln you will be with me, the rest of you will cover us in case the others come looking."

Everyone nods their understanding and split off into two groups of three. Lincoln indicates for them to take cover in two side pockets within the tunnel. He picks up a bone and turns to make sure everyone is hidden before throwing it towards the Reaper den.

They don't have to wait long before the sound of approaching footsteps can be heard. Clarke looks across the way and catches Anya's eyes, shock sticks at the ready. Clarke can feel the adrenaline pumping through her body as she prepares to strike. Nothing can be heard except the groaning and shuffling of the Reapers, it sounds like there's at least two coming to investigate. Her eyes are locked on Anya waiting for the signal.

The first Reaper is almost directly in front of them now, but Anya is still holding steady waiting for the next one so they won't be attacked by it while taking down the first. Thankfully it isn't long before the other one comes into view and she nods to Clarke that it's time to attack. It's like a practiced routine as Lincoln jumps out of his spot behind the Reapers and draws their attentions to him.

Anya and Clarke take the opportunity to strike. Anya pulls out her sword slashing it across the thigh of her opponent before jamming the primed shock stick into the back of his neck. The other Reaper doesn't have a chance to react as Clarke jumps on his back and hits him over the head with the hilt of her sword. As he drops to the ground dazed, Clarke rolls off and Lincoln shocks the creature into unconsciousness.

The other three hunters are already moving. Ryder picks up the first Reaper and tosses it over his shoulder so he can remove him from the cave with the others flanking him. Lincoln picks up the other one with Anya and Clarke covering him as they all make their way out of the tunnel.

As soon as they have cleared the tunnels and are back in the cover of the forest they drop the unconscious bodies to the ground. "bind them quickly so we can continue." Anya orders not wanting to take any chances. She wants to be as far from the mountain as possible.

The others do as they are told wrapping thick ropes around the hands and legs of the Reapers before gagging them and putting dark hoods over their heads. Task complete they pick them back up and start making their way back towards Camp.

* * *

"Sir, we have a problem." the guard, who'd been sent to find Emerson or Cage, tells Emerson as he catches him in the hallway.

"What happened? Emerson responds.

"There's been a breach in the underground tunnels, six intruders according to our cameras."

"Are they still down there?"

"No sir, we checked it looks like they've escaped."

Emerson's brow furrows in confusion. "That makes no sense, they came all this way and then left?"

"They took two of the creatures with them." the guard supplies.

"They can't be far, unleash the fog and I'll alert the president."

"Right away sir." the man salutes before radioing in the instructions to the control room.

* * *

Raven is impressed with the progress they'd been able to make over the last couple of hours. Her and Sinclair had managed to fix the wiring leading to the sickbay, while Bellamy and Pike worked with Captains Miller and Byrne to help reinforce the jail cells. She's confident that they'll be able to hold the Reapers after she did some additional retrofitting.

The only sour note to her day is the fact that somehow the radio shorted out. After their eventful morning she was hoping to do a test run on the radio and see if she could pick up a signal, only to discover it burnt out when she tried. She's going to have to do some proper wiring on it at some stage after everything has calmed down, but for now it's not at the top of her priority list.

Raven decides to take a minute to get some fresh air, something she's definitely come to appreciate during her time on Earth. She can just walk outside and take in a deep lungful of fresh air. She continues to make her way through the camp noticing that the grounder guards have changed once she spots Reza and Caris in the distance. A fleeting thought of Anya passes through her mind and she hopes the shock sticks do their job and get them back safely.

Although, she hasn't seen Lexa since this morning, the young leader has sent over provisions of food and fresh water for the Ark, enough for everyone there and then some.

The meat, nuts, berries and fruit seem to have drawn Pike's attention. Him and who Raven now recognizes as Monty's mom, Hannah, are talking with one of the grounders who brought the food over. Raven chuckles as she hears Pike asking all sorts of technical questions about how they grow and cultivate their food. To her credit the grounder woman actually takes the time to explain their farming methods and even offers to show them her land.

Finally Raven spots Abby speaking to Kane, who seems to be consoling her. Raven makes her way over to them catching the tail end of their conversation.

"She's been down here a long time Abby," Kane says and Abby just nods at his words. "Obviously she's adapted to the grounder lifestyle, I'm sure this isn't her first time out hunting. She will be fine." The confidence in his statement seems to put Abby at ease for the moment.

"Thank you Marcus, it's just hard you know she's my little girl and now she's this fearsome warrior."

"It may be difficult to reconcile now, but I'm sure given enough time the two of you can rebuild your relationship."

"We need to figure out what's going on with those Reapers first." Abby sighs defeated. The only chance of her getting to spend more time with her daughter is if they can figure out what the Mountain Men have been doing to the grounders. She'll do whatever it takes to find out and cure them so that her people can be part of the Commander's coalition and she can start rebuilding her relationship with her daughter.

Raven chooses that moment to step in and offer her own brand of comfort. "C'mon Doc this isn't the time to be losing hope, we've got everything up and running and I should have at least one of the MRI machines going before they get back. We'll figure it out, together."

Abby smiles in thanks to Raven. Before she can give a verbal response there's two sharp blows of yet another horn. Raven really wonders how many of the instruments these people have. She doesn't have enough time to ponder as Reza swiftly scales the metal ship and starts looking around. Suddenly she stops, her eyes facing south.

She yells down to Caris in their native tongue and the leader of the Desert clan is quick to start calling for everyone to get inside the Ark.

"What's going on? " Abby asks perplexed at seeing all the frantic movements.

"Acid fog is coming and we all need to get inside just in case it passes over us." Caris explains hurriedly.

"Where's it coming from?" Abby presses for more answers, her mind instantly on Clarke.

"The Mountain Men must have spotted the hunters." Reza surmises.

"This came from them?" the concern is clear in Abby's voice.

"Yes they are capable of many things, but we really need to get you and your people inside Chancellor." Caris tells her. "We can talk about this topic in more detail then."

Abby radios to the guard towers and tells them to get themselves and everyone else inside the ship quickly. Once the order is confirmed Abby takes off towards the gates.

"Abby where are you going?" Kane calls chasing after her.

"I need to speak to the Commander, Clarke is still out there." Abby tells him determinedly.

"We need to get to safety!" Kane argues grabbing Abby by the wrist and turning her to face him.

"Marcus, you make sure everyone gets inside and everything is sealed shut." She orders him.

"Not without you Abby." He challenges.

"I'll be fine Marcus, I'm just going over to the other camp I need to know. Please Marcus." she implores and he relents letting her go.

She mouths a thank you to him and then turns back to the gates.

* * *

Abby spots Lexa and Gustus just as they are going into the Commander's tent. The camp looks like a ghost town, which increases Abby's worry about the severity of this fog. Taking the opportunity she carries on unimpeded and stomps her way into Lexa's tent

"Is Clarke going to be okay?" she demands as she comes face to chest with Gustus.

"Let her pass Gustus." Lexa calls from behind him where she's sitting on her throne twirling a small knife into the armrest.

"Is my daughter going to be okay?" Abby asks again.

"They're with Lincoln, he knows this land better than anyone and he will get them to safety." Lexa answers evenly, her tone concealing her own worry for her wife and her mentor.

"One of your people said that the fog is coming from the mountain, that they'd been found out. What if they don't get away in time?"

"They're all skilled warriors they'll find a place to shelter." Lexa reassures.

"How can you be so sure!" Abby exclaims her worry spiraling into anger.

"I understand your concern for Clarke, Chancellor, but until the fog clears there is nothing we can do for them." Lexa tells her, jaw tight at not being able to do anything but sit back and wait.

"How long will that take?" Abby deflates she knows getting angry won't help the situation.

"Until the Mountain Men deem it fit." Gustus speaks up, having experienced this phenomenon many times during his lifetime.

"So what? We just wait?"

"Unfortunately." Lexa replies trying to keep her feelings at bay.

"You can't be okay with just waiting. You care for Clarke and she obviously cares for you as well."

"I care for all my people." Lexa states.

"But Clarke is special, you're wearing her father's watch. She wouldn't just part with that watch."

"Regardless of my personal feelings, there's nothing that can be done until the fog lifts." Lexa answers stiffly.

Gustus chooses that moment to step in and offer Abby something to eat or drink, before he engages her in conversation.

* * *

The animals scampering away from around the mountain had been the only warning that something was wrong.

Immediately Lincoln had called for them to find shelter and changed course. The hunters cut a quick path through the thick brush as the orange haze of the acid fog started to descend.

They'd just managed to find the entrance of a deep cave before the full force of the unnatural storm came upon them. Lincoln and Ryder had quickly dropped the Reapers they'd been carrying and pushed a large rock in front of the mouth of the cave hoping to better stave off the fog.

Anya and Alita, one of the other hunters with them, tied the two Reapers back to back to each other in hopes to keep them under control should they regain consciousness.

"Keep your weapons at the ready." Anya orders once they've finished tying the Reapers together.

They all nod or grunt their agreement before finding a comfortable spot in the cave to hunker down. All eyes on their captives.

"I knew we got out of there too easily." Clarke huffs.

"The hunt wouldn't be satisfying if it were easy." Anya responds and Clarke rolls her eyes at the familiar words.

"Last time you said that I ended up with claw marks." Clarke chuckles and Anya's lips tilt into a sly smirk.


	14. Fog of War Pt.2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to delve a bit deeper into Lexa's past and "secrets" are revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seem to be on a roll with these chapters of late, if you missed it chapter 7 of In the Silent Moments has also been updated and it plays an important role in the background of this chapter and chapter 8 of that story will answer the questions I have received about Clarke's leadership role. It is also the beginning of a whole bunch of new twists that will play out towards the final chapters of this story (which is still a ways off). I hope you all enjoy the chapter and I look forward to your reviews.

* * *

"Lincoln, is there another way out through the cave systems if the fog hasn't lifted yet?" Clarke asks.

She's not sure how long they've been down there, but they are on a time limit with the Reapers, who could wake at any moment. She knows them being bound and blindfolded will give the hunters an advantage but not much if the lack of vision makes them more aggressive.

"It's possible, but I have not explored all the caves in the area to know if they are interconnected." Lincoln answers.

"Osias and Alita," Anya calls. "light two torches and see if you can find any possible passageway through the cave system, if you do, come back and find us immediately."

"Sha General." Alita answers for them both as Osias prepares the fire to light the torches.

"We will go check if the fog seems to be lifting." Lincoln says before standing with Ryder to go to the mouth of the cave.

Osias gets the fire lit in no time and Alita has fashioned two torches out of some tied together tree roots. The moisture of the roots will allow for a slower burn of the torches. Once they're ready they make their way further into the cave.

The silence is abruptly broken by the groaning and shuffling of the awakening Reapers. Clarke is immediately on her feet, just as they break free of the ropes tying them together. She charges at them shock stick in hand, just as she gets in range she's hit with a blinding pain and falls to the ground.

Anya, who'd circled the Reapers, jumps on the one that hit Clarke as he broke his arm restraints and jams the shock stick into his neck. She holds it there until he drops unconscious once again.

Clarke shakes her head clear just in time to free one of her daggers and throw it right into the thigh of the other Reaper. It stops him for a moment and Clarke lunges towards him as he leans over to pull the blade from his leg. She hits her opponent over the head with the butt of another dagger and he sways still on his feet until she shocks him and he falls to the ground out cold.

Clarke looks up eyes wild weapons drawn only to see Anya is unharmed and already re-tying the binds on the one she'd taken down. Her mentor doesn't even have a scratch on her.

"Are you going to stand there gaping at me or restrain him?" Anya nods over to the Reaper Clarke had knocked out.

Clarke huffs out an annoyed breath before attending to her prisoner and making sure he's bound tightly, his hands and legs tied together this time like a wild hog.

"Is everything okay?" Lincoln calls as he and Ryder rush back down into the section of the cave they'd holed up in.

"We have it under control," Anya answers. "What about the fog?"

"It is still going." Lincoln says solemnly.

"Let's hope the others have better news." Anya says.

"You know it's aggravating you don't have a scratch on you." Clarke tells Anya.

The General chuckles before replying. "One of these days with enough practice, you may come close to mastering my talents."

Clarke just shoots her a glare before turning back to the Reapers.

* * *

A few minutes later Osias and Alita return. "We've found a trail that may lead out the other side of the forest." Osias announces.

"There are animal tracks along that way, it looks like it narrows off slightly but we should be able to find safe passage." Alita explains.

"Let's hope it gets us closer to where we need to be and as far from this forsaken mountain as possible." Anya says.

The group take a few minutes to put together some more torches and extinguish the fire they'd built. Once they're ready Ryder and Lincoln pick up their charges and follow Alita and Osias down the path they'd come from, Clarke and Anya closely behind them.

* * *

Finally the horn blows signalling the fog has cleared. Lexa is so anxious to find Clarke and the others, she's forgotten Abby's presence. She's been pouring over the old maps of the areas trying to pinpoint where the hunters could be in relation to the mountain. The horn pulls her out of her concentration on the war table and she's on the move putting her armor on and gathering her weapons.

"What does that horn mean?" Abby asks startled by Lexa's sudden movements after they'd spent the last hour in silence. The young leader studying what looked to be a map without so much as a flinch.

"The fog is gone." Lexa answers sheathing her sword and making her way outside. She calls to her guards and tells them to prepare themselves to leave immediately.

"What is going on?" Abby questions Gustus as they step outside the tent to Lexa calling out orders.

" _Heda_ is preparing a search party to go find the hunters." He explains pulling on his own armor.

"You're going too?"

"Wherever she goes, I follow." He replies making his way to the gathering group of warriors.

" _Heda_ , _Heda_." the guards, who have retaken their posts at the gate call, drawing Lexa's attention and she rushes over to see what is happening.

Just as she makes it to the front of the camp she spots Alita and Osias walking in with Lincoln and Ryder behind them. She's relieved when first Anya and finally Clarke come into view. Her relief is short lived however when she sees the bruising on Clarke's face, around her cheek and below her left eye.

Lincoln and Ryder drop the bodies of the Reapers just inside the entrance to their camp. Noticing her mother is there and would be able to offer medical assistance if needed, Clarke kneels beside the unconscious bodies and retrieves her dagger from the Reaper's thigh.

Clarke then looks to Lexa as she stands up and notes the concern written in her eyes. She gives her a slight nod to indicate she's okay.

Abby rushes over and pulls Clarke into a tight hug. "I'm fine mom." Clarke says not returning the embrace.

"Clarke you're hurt, you shouldn't have gone out there." Abby scolds pulling away to take in Clarke's injuries.

"My jail cell fell from the sky and I survived that, believe me I've had worse injuries than a black eye and a few bruises." Clarke states pulling herself away from her mother's hands. She lifts the dagger she'd just pulled out of the Reaper's leg. "You may want to attend to him first." she speaks nodding her head.

Abby looks to the two prone bodies on the ground and then back to her daughter. "You're more important Clarke, I really wish you'd at least have let Finn go with you to protect you."

Clarke immediately sees red, but she knows better than to make a scene in front of the entire camp. _Head over heart._ she reminds herself before sheathing her still blood soaked dagger and marching past her mother to the Commander's tent. Abby tries to follow but she's stopped by Lexa.

"Chancellor, it would be in your best interest to deal with them," Lexa speaks indicating the injured men on the ground. "You'd also do well to give her some space."

"She's still my little girl!" Abby exclaims.

Lexa puts her hand on Abby's shoulder and looks her in the eyes. "You've been granted a second chance with her, she's much stronger than the little girl you remember." with those words Lexa walks off in the direction of their shared tent.

* * *

Clarke is cleaning her face of the war paint and blood when Lexa arrives. She takes the cloth from Clarke's trembling hands and dips it in the warm water and then cautiously runs it over Clarke's face again.

"My mother?" Clarke asks quietly

"Gustus is escorting her back to Camp Jaha." Lexa answers equally as quiet. "I know you're upset with her right now and you have every right to be, but Clarke you've been granted a second chance with her, some of us aren't that lucky."

Lexa finishes cleaning Clarke's face and takes a salve out of Clarke's satchel to apply to the open wound just below her wife's eye. "Before my conclave the last time my nomon had seen me, I was three years old." Lexa begins to speak.

Clarke is surprised at the topic, Lexa never really speaks about her family. The majority of her life had been spent living and training in Polis with the other young nightbloods. She'd once told Clarke growing up they were the closest thing each other had to family in the Capital city. They lived, trained and learned together for years before the conclave. Lexa talks about the happy times she can remember with them and what they did in their limited free time, but anything regarding her conclave she's always been vague on the details. It had taken Clarke a long time to understand why, but she never pushed Lexa to talk about it, only offering a supportive shoulder when needed.

"The night before my conclave, Anya arranged for her to come see me." Lexa's voice is almost a whisper. "Although, she had prepared herself for the visit and finally seeing me again after all those years, the reality of who I had become after so much time had passed still jarred her."

Lexa stops for a moment to reel in her emotions. Memories of the last time she saw her mother still hauntingly fresh in her mind. She takes a deep shuddering breath, forcing back the tears that threaten to fall.

Clarke reaches out to her vulnerable wife and gives her hand a supportive squeeze. She's always seen two sides of Lexa -the one that belonged to their people and the one that belonged to her-. Right now this was her Lexa, no war paint and open.

Grounded by Clarke's presence Lexa continues on. "I was no longer the bright eyed three year old she remembered, I was no longer hers." Lexa takes another steadying breath. "That night is when I learned Titus' lesson of love being weakness. Once she'd recovered from the shock, she wrapped me in her arms and it took a moment for me to respond, but when I embraced her back I almost gave into the urge to runaway and run back to her and my father."

So many conflicting emotions ran through Lexa's head and heart that night. Her mother's loving embrace was familiar and promised safety, something her heart had been yearning for ever since she arrived in Polis. But she knew as a nightblood she was chosen for a higher purpose, she had a duty to her people. At the end of the night she'd have to make a sacrifice heart vs head.

"I thought the decision would be mine to make, however when we pulled back, nomon looked me square in the eyes and told me, my duty was now to my people." Lexa takes a shuddering breath remembering her mother's words and knowing that they'd just sealed her fate. "She was proud of me and knew the next day whatever the outcome I will have honored both my parents."

Clarke pulls Lexa into a tight hug as the tears she's been holding in finally escape her. Lexa sobs quietly into Clarke's shoulder letting out everything she's been holding back for so many years. After a few minutes of Clarke's silent comfort Lexa reigns in her emotions, she has a point she's trying to make. She pulls back from Clarke only to receive a gentle kiss from her wife. The kiss pulls a small smile from Lexa and gives her the encouragement to carry on.

"The last time I cried so hard before that night, I was three years old and in a new city." Lexa says wiping away her tears. "I knew that no matter the outcome during the conclave that night was the last time I would see my mother as my mother. I would either be killed in the conclave or I would be chosen by the spirit and she would become one of my people. At that time all of us knew that if we were chosen we would need to cut all ties to anyone we cared for or risk their lives."

Clarke's mind springs to Costia and her fate at the hands of the Ice Nation. She knows it's what made Lexa cautious in their own courtship and why Lexa insisted Clarke train to become a warrior before pursuing anything with her.

"You have another chance with your mother, Clarke." Lexa says breaking the silence. "I know she betrayed your trust, but second chances are rare in this life. Do not let it slip through your fingers. It doesn't have to be right now, but their time is limited if they fail."

Clarke sighs mulling over Lexa's words for a long moment and Lexa let's her. She knows Clarke always needs time to process these things. "You're right Lex, I just don't know if I can forgive her just yet."

"Forgiveness takes time, but you have to give her a chance to earn it." Lexa assures.

"Thank you." Clarke says before leaning in and kissing her wife. "I love you so much."

"I love you too and I will always be here for you Clarke." Lexa responds.

* * *

Back at Camp Jaha the Reapers have been secured in the rebuilt jail pods. Bellamy taking it upon himself and Finn to be the guardsmen. Abby had already taken a few blood samples for Jackson to analyze.

"Do you think they'll be able to figure out what's wrong with them?" Octavia, who'd come over to assist, asks Raven.

"Between all the doctors, biologists and engineers on this ship, I have no doubt." Raven answers hoping that someone will prove her right. "Hand me the screwdriver would you?" hand outstretched and waiting

Octavia looks at the tool box and takes out the screwdriver placing it in Raven's hand. The older girl is hunched over a big machine with wires spilling out all over the place. "What are you even doing?"

"This is the ship's only somewhat functioning MRI machine, if the blood tests don't work then they'll need this to run more tests." Raven explains as she continues fiddling around inside the machine. "So what are you doing here?"

"Anya sent me over to keep an eye on you while her and the others rest and refuel."

At the mention of Anya, Raven pops her head out from inside the machine and looks at the younger brunette. True to form her hair is braided, war paint covers her eyes and head to toe weapons strapped to her body.

"Oh right, I forgot you're a baby warrior. How's that going?"

"There are muscles in my body I never knew about and they all ache, but it's like I've finally found my purpose." Octavia answers excitedly. "Lincoln says if I keep up my training maybe someone will take me on as a second."

"What does that mean?"

"That they'll take me under their wing and train me. Like Anya with Clarke." Octavia explains.

"Hold up, Clarke is Anya's second? She's married to the Commander, doesn't that give her all kinds of special privileges and such? Like not having to be anyone's second." Raven questions.

"She's still a warrior in training, even if she's married to the Commander so she is still a second."

"She's been down here for three years, how long does the training take?" Raven asks interest piqued.

"I'm not sure, I guess until your mentor feels you're ready." Octavia shrugs.

The two continue their conversation, enjoying the chance to catch up with each other. Both unaware of Abby's presence. She was coming in to check on Raven when she heard them speaking about Clarke. It feels like a bucket ice cold water had been poured over her as the truth of Clarke's relationship with Commander Lexa is unwittingly revealed.

* * *

A few hours later, Bellamy and Finn are relieved of guard duty by Monroe and Harper. Bellamy decides to go check in on Clarke and see how she's doing, he'd heard from Octavia that she'd come back with some bruises. Bellamy is glad Finn had gone to the canteen for food instead of sticking around for the news.

"Hey Bellamy," Pike calls getting the young man's attention. "can I talk to you for a second?"

"Yeah sure, what's up?" Bellamy answers waiting for Pike to catch up to him.

"Where are you off to?" Pike asks.

"I'm going to head over to the grounder camp and check in on Clarke." Bellamy says.

"Right she was part of the hunters, how is she?"

"According to my sister a bit banged up but otherwise she's fine."

"That's good to know this place is filled with dangers beyond our imaginations." Pike muses. It's a revelation he'd come to after the announcement of the acid fog, he was surprised to learn it was man made however.

"Definitely," Bellamy agrees. "So what is it you wanted to talk about?"

"Clarke." is Pike's short reply. His mind is still on the conversation he'd had with Wells Jaha the other night and he wants to know as much as he can before placing any trust in Clarke or the grounders.

"What about Clarke?" Bellamy asks brow furrowed in confusion.

"You've been down here a while with her, what's your assessment of her?"

"I mean we never really hung out in the same social circles back on the Ark."

"Right you're a bit older than she is." Pike nods.

"Exactly, but she's definitely not the spoiled princess, I heard about on the Ark." Bellamy says. "Plus she saved my sister so I'm indebted to her for that."

"How'd she save your sister?" Pike inquires.

"My sister and a few of the others went on a supply run to get some water and any kind of berries and nuts," Bellamy starts explaining. "When they came upon a lake my sister decided to go for a swim and got attacked by a river snake. According to Octavia, Clarke who'd been hunting in the area heard her calling out and came to her rescue."

Pike nods thoughtfully. "How fortuitous for your sister that she was in the right place at the right time."

"Yea, we had a big meal that night too. First one we'd had since we got here, definitely helped with morale." Bellamy continues.

"Morale, how so?" Pike follows up.

Bellamy sighs thinking back to the days before Clarke came to live with them. "You know just a bunch of kids free from the Ark. Groups were starting to form and tensions were running high, with the lack of food and potable water."

"Yeah, I can see how that would start to weigh you all down."

"By the time Clarke got here, Wells had already pretty much had a group of kids together ready to go to the mountain, but she convinced him and the rest of them to hold off on it for a while." Bellamy continues explaining.

"What was her reasoning in staying away from the mountain?" Pike continues, his curiosity growing as the conversation continues.

"She just said it was dangerous and she proved to be right, what with the Reapers, kidnapping the others and now the acid fog." Bellamy shrugs.

Pike nods contemplatively as he takes in all this new information. "Do you think the people living in the mountain will hurt your friends?"

"Honestly, I don't know, but we will get them back no matter what." Bellamy says determinedly.

"How are you planning to do that?"

"The Coalition is going to take down the mountain and we're going to help them."

"You guys already have a plan?"

"Nothing solid yet, but you know with us training and Raven's skills we should be able to cripple the mountain and get everyone trapped inside it, out." Bellamy tells him. "But you wanted to know about Clarke, why exactly?"

"I'm just trying to get a lay of the land and learn how things are run down here." Pike answers. "You kids have done a good job getting in with the grounders and I hope we can prove ourselves too."

"Like Abby said, with all the doctors and scientists in this camp, you guys will find out what's been done to the Reapers and figure out how to fix it."

Pike nods his head in agreement. "She's right, with our knowledge and technology we do stand a fighting chance."

Bellamy thinking the conversation is over starts to leave only to be stopped by Pike asking another question.

"What about the grounders?"

"What, my opinion on them?" Bellamy clarifies and Pike shakes his head yes. "Can't really say, I mean Lincoln is cool and he helped Wells after he was attacked by Reapers." He gives a noncommittal shrug as he answers, running his hand through his hair.

"Lincoln is which one again?" Pike asks trying to picture who Bellamy is talking about.

"He's the big guy, tanned, tattoos up to the neck, always has an axe." Bellamy describes.

"Yes okay I know who you mean," Pike acknowledges. "Doesn't strike me as a healer type."

"He's a good guy from what I can gather, more interested in peace than anything else."

"Peace seems like an unlikely concept in this world." Pike says running his hand over his head.

"It does, but the Commander managed to form peace between the clans, so it isn't that out there of a concept." Bellamy responds. " And Clarke got us into a peaceful alliance as well with them, so I guess with enough people working towards the same goal, we can make it happen."

Pike pats Bellamy on the shoulder and gives him a smile. "You're right and I better get to the med-bay and see if they need an extra hand with the Reapers. Send Clarke my regards and thanks for her efforts when you see her."

Bellamy nods reminded of where he was going at the onset of this conversation. He's happy though that one of the Ark adults, a council member no less, is treating him with such respect. He'd gotten lost in the feeling of finally being seen as more than a kid for once. Although he's not proud of his actions to get on the dropship, he did what he needed to in order to keep his sister safe and if this is the result, he'd do it again in a heartbeat.

"I will do," Bellamy promises. "Let me know when you guys know more."

"You'll know as soon as we do." Pike says turning back to the Ark as Bellamy goes to the grounder camp.


	15. Game of Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trust is a fickle foundation

_Instinct_ , his father had always taught him to follow his instinct no matter what. " _It'll never leave you astray son."_ the last words his father told him are still fresh in his mind, but he feels that in this instance his father may be wrong. The mission had been simple enough, once they landed on Earth, go to Mount Weather and radio back to the Ark. On that occasion his instinct about sending a bunch of troubled teens down to Earth had been right and it'd taken Wells quite a bit more time than he knew the broken ship had to get some kind of signal to them. Being knocked out of commission by that spear didn't help matters either. In hindsight he wishes he'd listened, not to his father, but to his best friend.

Clarke was right that there was something strange going on in this place. In the immediate aftermath of being rescued and the realization that his mission was almost complete, Wells had ignored the niggling feeling in the back of his mind that something wasn't quite right. He couldn't figure out what it was, the place seemed too opulent and too generous for a place filled with people. Mount Weather has been functioning as it's own self sustained country for as long as the Ark has been in space, yet there is no rationing of food or population control. Still he reasoned this was because they had more resources on Earth than they did in space.

The alarm bells in his head can't be ignored though when he starts talking to the others about the rescue, as president Wallace had called it. According to those who were at the camp when the Mountain men scouts -who'd been out on patrol around the mountain- showed up. The scouts were there within minutes of the flare going off. It should have taken them at least a few hours to get there given the distance between Mount Weather and the dropship landing site. Even if they just happened to be in the area, did they always walk with weapons and knockout gas? It all seemed a bit too lucky to be true.

It's the same reason he hadn't trusted Clarke initially, her timing was too coincidental and he was never a believer in coincidences, over their time spent together, he just knew Clarke was holding something back and when she brought that grounder to check his wounds, he knew then that she too or the people she'd been living with on Earth had also been watching them.

Wells had spent quite some time trying to figure out how the Mountain Men soldiers had gotten there so quick. He never expected his answer to come in the form of the radio transmission, undoubtedly sent out by Raven. Seeing the images on the screens in the control room and spotting the area surrounding the dropship had made his stomach sank. They'd known they were there all along.

The difference now though was obvious, Clarke was watching them, she infiltrated their camp to keep them safe and make sure they could take care of themselves. If they were able to provide for themselves they'd stay away from the mountain and it's mysteries. It's too late now though and he knows that he may have lead them all into danger and he has to fix it.

Wells can't ignore what he heard the other night when he'd been making his way back to their sleeping quarters. The guards in the hall talking about people breaking into the underground tunnels and escaping with creatures. He wonders what kind of creatures and if those are what attacked him. Even more startling though is the fog they talked about, he knew this was a military base, but he didn't expect they'd be able to unleash some sort of chemical weapon. Wells needed to know more.

"This is a restricted area, what are you doing down here?" Wells freezes in his tracks slowly, broken out of his troubling thoughts. Ever so slowly he turns to see who'd caught him and is instantly relieved when Maya comes into view. He could handle her.

"I'm sort of lost," Wells shrugs helplessly. "I was in the canteen and had to go to the bathroom and somehow got turned around in the corridors and couldn't figure out where I'd come from." He let's out an embarrassed chuckle. "Clarke, my best friend, she always used to say I could get lost going in a circle."

Maya laughs and he joins along with her, glad she's not pressing for more information. "Yeah I guess this place can be a maze, especially if you haven't lived here your whole life."

"You'd think living on a giant spaceship with a myriad of hallways, doorways and passageways, would have taught me better." Wells flashes his most charming smile at Maya and she mirrors it back to him.

"Guess your best friend Clarke is right then." Maya jokes. "C'mon I'll help you find your way."

Wells bounces from one foot to the other for extra effect. "That would be awesome, lead the way."

Maya turns around and Wells follows her as she leads him through the corridors. He'd been trying to find the entrance to the tunnels, while it seemed that everyone else was busy with dinner, but he'd gotten lost somewhere along the way.

"Hey Maya," Wells calls getting the girl's attention. "Can I ask you a question?"

"I believe you just did." Maya stops and smiles at him. "But yeah, shoot."

"Does anyone here ever leave the mountain?" he ask cautiously.

"Only the scouts do." Maya answers.

"Nobody else?" Maya shakes her head no, "why not?" Wells continues.

"I'm sure during your time out there you met the outsiders?" Maya fires back her own question.

Wells rubs his now healed wound. "That I did yes."

"Also growing up inside the mountain, it's not exactly safe for us to go outside without the suits." Wells mind flashes to the hazmat suit Maya had been wearing when he was in quarantine.

"Like the one you were wearing when we met." Wells concludes.

"Yeah, the Earth is still full of radioactivity and it's dangerous to us, so this is the safest place for us to be." Maya continues, swiping a key card at a door. Wells steps through and waits for her as she closes it behind them. Looking around he recognizes the hallway as the one leading to the sleeping quarters.

"Oh how'd we get here so fast?" Wells asks looking around.

"Perks of living here for so long, I know all the shortcuts in this place." Maya boasts a bit teasingly.

"Know of any secret passageways?" Wells asks.

"What if I did?" Maya challenges.

"Don't tell anyone, but I am a bit of a history nerd and I have always wanted to explore a secret tunnel. I used to dream about what the catacombs in France would look like and where they'd lead to." Wells reveals, reminiscent smile on his face.

"I doubt that anything we have down here will be able to match it, but if you're interested I could give you a tour." Maya offers. "There's some really cool areas in the mountain and sometimes it helps take your mind off of where you are."

"That would be awesome, when can we do it?" He asks excitedly, maybe one of these secret hallways will unlock the mysteries of this place.

"How bout tomorrow after lunch, I don't have rounds." Maya suggest and Wells nods eagerly. "Then I'll see you tomorrow. The bathroom is down the hall and to your left by the way.

"Thanks Maya, you're a lifesaver." He says to the girl before heading down the hall.

* * *

"So did you find anything?" Murphy asks.

"Got caught by Maya." Wells answers deflated. It's the most unlikely of partnerships, him and John Murphy, but given their current situation and the fact Murphy has mostly kept to himself he'd seemed like the safest option to raise his concerns to about Mount Weather. Of course it had initially come with taunts of " _You're upset they didn't give you the biggest piece of cake so now they're shady?"_ but Murphy had agreed to work with him, for whatever yet to be disclosed motives.

"Seriously, you got caught by Jasper's girlfriend, that's pathetic Jaha." Murphy shakes his head in disapproval.

"I was able to get some information out of her though." this peaks Murphy's interest.

"Don't keep me in suspense then little Jaha."

Wells tries not to roll his eyes at the nickname. "There are a bunch of secret passageways inside the mountain and tomorrow she's going to show me around."

The look on Murphy's face is priceless as he processes the information. "Wait a minute, just like that she's going to take you around, how'd you pull that one off?"

"You forget my father taught me everything I know." Wells retorts.

"The one time having the last name Jaha, was actually beneficial," Murphy doesn't miss a beat. "Okay, so she's going to show you around and while she's doing that I'll try and get close to Cage and see if I can get anything there."

"I don't know man, he seems dangerous, we don't want to tip him off." Wells says nervously. Something about Cage just rubs him the wrong way.

"You have your skills and I have mine." Murphy says then walks away, no doubt going back to the cafeteria for more food. Wells considers his options and if he should continue to do some more exploring, but getting caught by Maya, he thinks it may be best to wait till she shows him around. He decides to go check in on the others and see what they are up to. Ever since his suspicions arose about the Mountain Men he's been checking in on the delinquents to make sure they're all safe.

* * *

Wells finds them all in the break room. It's interesting he thinks how on the Ark the only thing most of them had in common was a criminal record and now they're practically inseparable. Wells makes his way around the room, checking in with everyone while doing a mental headcount. Assured that everyone is there he walks up to where Monty and Jasper are attempting to play a game of chess.

"Check and mate!" Jasper cheers and Monty just rolls his eyes exasperatedly.

"Dude that was your first move and it was a pawn, you haven't won yet." Monty explains and Jasper just shrugs.

Wells walks up to the table and places a hand on Monty's shoulder. "Could you use a real challenge?"

"Do you actually know how to play?" Monty perks up at the prospect.

"Yeah my dad and I would play every night before bed." Wells says.

"Jasper you're out, Wells you're in." Monty says and Jasper sits there mouth agape.

"But…" he starts to protest but stops when he sees the look of annoyance on Monty's face. "Fine, I'll go shoot some pool with Miller."

Wells takes his place in the now vacant seat and the two restart the game.

"Have you heard anything else from the Ark?" Monty asks. Wells had come to him immediately after making contact and told him about the radio call and the weakness of the signal. Monty had explained the signal weakness could be due to the damage done to the ship. If Raven had gotten the radio working it was probably just to ping other commonly used channels to find other parts of the Ark, which may have broken off during reentry.

"Nothing yet, we need to do something." Wells answers voice low and cautious.

"If we could get a radio and hack into their communications room maybe we'd be able to contact the Ark, but only if their radio is working again." Monty hypotheses.

"Maya is taking me on a tour tomorrow, is there something specific I should be looking for?" Wells asks.

"You know what a conduit box looks like?" Wells nods at the question. "Okay well if you can find one we should be able to use the cables in there to hack into their system without them finding out."

"Alright and then what?" Wells urges.

"Then we hope Raven has the radio working on their end so they can pick up on our signal." Monty answers.

* * *

"She's married!" Kane who'd been reading a book startles when Abby bursts into his room.

"What? Who's married?" he asks as Abby plops down into a chair.

"Clarke!" Abby exclaims. "She's married to the Commander."

"How do you figure that?" Kane asks bewildered at the information.

"I overheard Raven and Octavia talking when I went to go check in on the MRI machine." Abby explains her hands covering her face as she takes a deep breath.

"And how does that make you feel?" he asks bringing over a drink of water.

"I don't know how to feel," Abby says. "I'm her mother, I should know these things, but since we've been down here she's held a knife to my throat and been nothing but aggressive towards me."

"She's been here for three years Abby and who knows what she's been through in that time."

"I know, you're right and I keep having the thought that maybe this is something she felt compelled to do." Abby muses.

"She doesn't look like someone under duress though Abby." He notes based on his observations over the last few days.

"Stockholm Syndrome or maybe she felt indebted to them for taking her in and was forced to marry the Commander as repayment."

Kane puts his hand on Abby's shoulder and gives it a comforting squeeze. "I think you need to talk to her and hear her out. The two of you are overdue a talk."

"How though? She hates me." Abby deflates finally letting her tears fall. Kane pulls her into a comforting hug as she cries letting out everything she's been holding in since they landed on Earth.

"It'll be okay Abby, just ask her to talk." Kane says rubbing soothing circles on her back. "You have to try."

Abby nods against his shoulder, breathing in the scent of his cologne and letting it ground and calm her. "Will you come with me?" she asks sheepishly.

"Of course I will if you need me to Abby." Kane assures.

Abby pulls away and looks him in the eyes. "Thank you, Marcus."

"I'm here whenever you need me Abby," he says. "Why don't you get some rest and clear your head then we'll go talk to Clarke."

Abby agrees easily and Marcus let's her go, pulling back the sheets from his bed for her to get in.

"Marcus, I can't kick you out of your own bed, I'll go to my room."

"It's okay Abby, I should probably be sitting down while reading anyways." he smiles patting the bed and she relents getting in.

Abby's asleep almost as soon as her head hits the pillow and Kane covers her over in the blankets before taking his seat and going back to his book.

* * *

Half an hour later Abby is awake and pacing the tiny length of Kane's room. He watches on as she makes another lap lost in thought.

"Do you want to go outside there's more room." he suggests and she stops suddenly like a startled child.

"Sorry, I'm just nervous," Abby sighs sitting back on the bed. "I don't know if I can do this without making things worse."

Kane takes a seat next to her and wraps his arms around her. "Abby you can do this, she's your daughter just talk to her."

"I wish Jake were here, he was always so much better with her." Abby sighs out fighting back more tears.

"What would he have done in this situation?" Kane asks.

"The last time she was that angry with me, you know before everything with her father," Abby starts and Kane nods giving her his silent support. "She was twelve years old and she'd gotten into a fight with one of the other kids for picking on Wells."

A faint smile comes to Abby as she recounts the memory. The teacher had forced Clarke to take the boy to the sickbay and explain to Abby what had happened. "She was so mad at me when I not only made her apologize, but help me clean him up."

"knowing Clarke I bet she wasn't happy." Kane laughs and is relieved to see a grin spread over Abby's face.

"Oh she wasn't and she spent the next two days not talking to me. I was at my wits end until Jake stepped in and spoke to her on my behalf."

"What did he say to her?" Kane asks curiously.

"I have no idea, but she apologized and caught me up on the days I'd missed." Abby says. "He just always knew how to reach her and he's not here and it's my fault. She won't ever forgive me for that."

"You don't know that for sure Abby."

"If there's one thing Clarke inherited from me it's her stubborn streak." Abby tells him shaking her head.

"And if you can adapt, so can she." He says hoping to lighten the mood.

Abby chuckles and tugs on his beard playfully. "You're right. Let's go talk to my daughter and I guess my daughter in law."

Kane pats her on the shoulder. "Mazel Tov." Abby swats his hand with a laugh as she stands. Mentally preparing to face Clarke and finally clear the air between them.

* * *

"Chancellor, do you bring word of the Reapers?" Gustus asks blocking Abby and Kane's entrance into the grounder camp. He'd spotted them striding over and decided to intervene before they got any further in and had a chance to upset either Clarke or Lexa.

"Nothing yet, we are working on it though." Abby answers trying to peer around the large man without much success.

"We are here on other business." Kane supplies casually.

"And what business is that exactly?" Gustus questions arms crossed.

"I want to talk to my daughter, Gustus, I need to see how she is doing." Abby tells him.

"Clarke is resting and not to be disturbed." Gustus tells them both.

"Gustus, I am her mother and a doctor. I just want to make sure she is okay and isn't suffering any kind of ill effects from her injuries." Abby challenges.

"She has already been seen by our _Fisa_ and he has declared she will be fine with rest." Gustus holds his ground.

"Doesn't look like she's following the doctor's orders from here." Kane notes, nodding his head towards where he can see Clarke around a group of children. She's gesticulating wildly and the children are in a fit of giggles.

Gustus shoots him a glare and Kane knows if looks could kill he'd have dropped dead already.

"Gustus _please."_ Abby begs in a softer more desperate tone and the General turns his attention back to her staring her down for a moment before stepping aside and letting her pass. "Thank you so much."

"Chancellor," he calls once they've moved past him. "I do not do this for you, but for Clarke. Make no mistake however my earlier warning still stands." he threatens and Abby nods before pulling Kane along.

Kane looks alarmed at Abby. "What warning?"

"It's nothing to worry about, just something about making me regret coming to Earth if I upset either of them." Abby shrugs.

"How are you so casual about that? Look at the size of him." Kane gestures back at Gustus, who is still eyeing them.

"I don't intend on upsetting them so it'll be fine Kane, besides I think he actually likes me."

"How can you tell?" Kane asks.

"He let me pass and hasn't killed us." Abby reasons.

Kane shrugs. "Can't argue with that logic I guess."

Lexa is the first to notice them as they approach, Clarke too engrossed in her drawing and storytelling with the local village kids to notice. Lexa finishes braiding the little girl, sat in her lap, hair and encourages her to go to Clarke. As soon as the girl has moved Lexa stands and moves in their direction.

"No we aren't here with news of the Reapers, they're working on it. I'm here to see Clarke." Abby says before Lexa has a chance to ask.

Hearing her name, Clarke turns her head to the voices and quickly finishes up her story. The kids all thank her and take their drawings scampering home before the evening meal. Clarke takes a moment to compose herself before she stands.

"What's going on?" Clarke asks eyes roaming between Abby, Kane and Lexa.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing Clarke and maybe we can talk?" Abby asks hopefully.

"As you can see I'm fine." Clarke bites back, but calms with Lexa's hand on her back. A move that doesn't go unnoticed by Abby. Clarke takes a breath and nods before speaking again. "Sure we can talk, the evening meal is about to be served, you should stay for that."

"That would be nice, thank you Clarke." Abby's relieved at the invitation.

"Why don't the three of you go to the tent and I shall retrieve our meals." Lexa suggests.

"Okay thank you Lex," Clarke answers with a smile before turning to Kane and her mother. "C'mon the tent is this way."

"Actually," Kane speaks up. "If you don't mind commander I could give you a hand with the food."

Lexa nods understanding that he wants to give the mother and daughter some time alone. "That would be acceptable, Kane."

"We'll see you guys in a bit." He calls over his shoulder following Lexa.

* * *

There's a palpable tension in the room with Clarke and Abby seated across from each other.

"Would you like a drink?" Clarke offers.

"Yes please." Abby accepts. Clarke pours them both a glass of wine. They both take a drink and Abby grimaces a bit.

Clarke laughs at the face she's making, probably the same face she made the first time she tried the drink. "It takes some getting used" Clarke chuckles.

"I bet" Abby coughs to clear her throat before taking a smaller sip of her drink.

Lexa and Kane come into the tent holding plates of food and the foursome sit down to eat. All three women laugh at Kane's reaction to the wine and he's happy to feel the tension melting away even if at his own expense.

"I think this may be the best meal I've ever had," Abby comments. "What is it?"

"Stewed deer and rabbit with root vegetables." Lexa answers. "It's one of Clarke's favorite meals."

"I can see why." Kane says before eating another mouthful.

So far things are going well Abby feels. Although Clarke hasn't said much, she's happy to be enjoying a meal with her daughter and learning something new about her.

The meal continues with civil conversation about the clans, Polis and some stories about the Ark. Abby even contributing a few stories about little Clarke and her antics. She can see Lexa's genuine interest in this information and Clarke seems okay so far with the stories she's told, even throwing in her own comments. It's progress and Abby is glad for it. She's debating if she should even bring up their marriage and risk ruining the last hour.

* * *

Once everyone has finished their meals Lexa takes the plates and invites Kane to take a walk with her to introduce him to the cooks. He'd expressed an interest in knowing how they'd prepared the meals so he'd have an idea of what to do back at their camp.

"Thank you for tonight Clarke, it's been a long time since we spent time together." Abby says before sipping her tea. They'd switched over to the less potent beverage after they'd finished the first round of wine.

"It has been a while yes." Clarke agrees taking a drink of her own tea.

Lexa walks back into the room without Kane and takes a seat near Clarke. Careful in her movements Abby notes as Clarke hands Lexa an additional cup.

"Where's Kane?" Clarke asks.

"He's in conversation with Ava and you know how Ava likes to talk." Lexa answers and both her and Clarke laugh.

"She may have met her match in Marcus." Abby chimes in with her own chuckle.

"He's always been a talker that's true." Clarke concurs.

"Your father was like that," Abby reflects missing Clarke tensing up at the mention of her father. "He could strike up a conversation with anyone. He'd always talk about you to anyone he met, you were like the sun to him Clarke. He'd be so proud of you and probably crack some kind of joke about his baby growing up seeing you with those kids."

Those words broke the camel's back. Jake was Clarke's sore spot. "All things he could have experienced if you hadn't have gotten him floated." Clarke cuts in angrily.

Abby stammers to a stop, reeling at the accusation. "Clarke, I.."

"No you don't get to talk about dad, he'd still be here if you hadn't have turned him in." Clarke says eyes filled with anger.

"Your father's death haunts me everyday Clarke." Abby tells her daughter eyes filling with tears.

"You were part of the council you knew what would happen to him and you turned him into Jaha!" Clarke yells.

"I thought I could trust him!" Abby defends. "He was my best friend! Do you think it was easy for me? The law is the law Clarke. I could have lost you too!"

"I was locked in solitary for two years! My cell broke loose and crashed to Earth! Do you know how scary that was?" Clarke calls out. "I could have died because of those stupid laws!"

Lexa steps in squeezing Clarke's shoulder. "Clarke." she says looking her in the eye. The room falls silent as the two stare at each other for a long moment. Clarke takes a deep breath, closing her eyes then opening them and nodding to Lexa.

"Dad and what you did to him is a sore spot and not one I'm ready to talk about." Clarke tells Abby.

"What is that?" Abby asks eyes focused on Lexa.

"Excuse me?" Lexa questions eyebrows raised.

"What kind of control is it that she has over you Clarke?" Abby turns back to her daughter. "Is she such a tyrant that just a simple look or touch gets you to fall in line with whatever she wants? Is that how she got you to marry her?"

"How do you know we're married?" Clarke asks bewildered.

"I heard Raven and Octavia talking about it." Abby answers. "But that's besides the point, did she somehow force you to marry her?"

"What would even make you think that?" Clarke shoots back outraged at the accusation.

"In the field, in the council meeting, outside and just then. She's nudged you, given you a look or somehow prodded you back under her control." Abby points out.

Clarke shakes her head and huffs. "You just can't stop looking down at other people can you? After everything she's done to ensure your safety you have the gall to come in here and judge her."

"I can only judge on what I've seen Clarke! I don't know her and I don't know this person that you've become."

"You don't get to do that! You don't get to judge her. We are who we have to be in this world." Clarke bites back in defense of her wife. "You don't get to come down here and pretend to be better than us. Lexa, who you call a tyrant is a peacekeeper, she's solely responsible for getting twelve warring clans to join into a peaceful Coalition, stopping centuries of in fighting."

Both Abby and Lexa are quiet as Clarke carries on.

"You don't know her and you don't know the nightbloods, kids plucked from their homes and trained to be the next in line for Commander. Lexa was one of those kids scared and alone at three years old in a new city filled with strangers."

Clarke has to stop there and take a breath. Taking a big gulp of her lukewarm tea as she reels in her emotions. All the truths she's learned over the past year about the nightbloods, the conclave and Lexa. She has to stop herself from revealing plans known only to the two of them, plans for a time after the fall of the mountain.

"She's taken them in and spends her days teaching them how to be a Commander of peace, because that is what we are working towards." She starts back looking over at Lexa before turning back to her mother. "Lexa sat by my bedside every day while I was recovering from my injuries, she wasn't the Commander on those days. She was just a girl who made sure I was comfortable and felt safe in this strange and unfamiliar environment. I didn't even know where I'd come from and neither did she, but she looked after me and helped me when I couldn't help myself. She got me through all that pain and let me know my scars were beautiful, a reminder of my strength and resilience."

Clarke voice softens as the next words leave her mouth. "You don't know _my_ Lexa, whose heart broke at the news that the dropship you sent down decimated an entire village of men, women and children. _My_ Lexa who despite that act of war, has gone against our ways of blood must have blood and allowed not only the delinquents, but all of you on the Ark the chance to earn your way into the Coalition. She's effectively put her life on the line because she loves me and she wants us to have a second chance as a family."

The room falls silent once again and Abby isn't looking at Clarke, but instead to Lexa. The young leader that she may have judged too quickly, the girl who is looking at her daughter as if she created the universe. She recognizes the look, because it's the same way Jake used to look at her. She watches as Lexa moves closer to Clarke gripping her hand and watching as Clarke slowly starts to calm down.

She wants to believe everything Clarke has just said, but she can't trust Clarke's judgement. She's too involved, too in love to not be biased. Abby can appreciate Lexa's political strategies though, she's strengthening her Coalition by allowing the hundred to align with them and giving the Ark a chance to do the same. Abby decides to back down for now, but spend as much time as she can observing Lexa. She could just be using Clarke as a pawn to win them over to her side.

"I am so sorry Clarke, you're right I didn't know and I didn't give Lexa a fair chance." Abby says. "But if you'll allow me, the both of you, I would really like to have a chance to get to know you both better once we have completed our end of the bargain. I didn't know we'd put you in such a position Commander and I'm sorry for the lose we've caused your people. I hope one day we'll be able to make up for it."

Lexa can tell that Abby is trying to be sincere and she accepts the apology not letting go of Clarke. "I can only forgive you on my own behalf Chancellor, but you will have to earn the forgiveness of my people and that of your daughter."

Abby nods her understanding. "Thank you Lexa and I promise your efforts for us will not be in vain."

"I have faith that it won't be." Lexa says with a small smile on her face. "It is late however and I think we all need our rest."

"Of course," Abby agrees seeing the exhaustion on Clarke's face. The argument obviously having sapped whatever reserves of energy she had left. "I'll let you know as soon as we've made progress with the Reapers."

Abby leaves the tent with her promise and sees a nervous looking Kane waiting a few feet away from the tent, Gustus is standing next to him, glare firmly set in place. She can tell from the look on both their faces, they must have heard some of the conversation.

"Are you okay?" he asks as she gets closer to him.

"I will be, are you?" she answers and he just gives her a curt nod and wraps an arm around her and she leans into him. Grateful for his comfort as they make their way back to their camp.

* * *

"Is everything okay?" Gustus asks making his way through the tent flaps Anya in tow.

Lexa walks out from behind the curtain that divides the sleeping area from the rest of the tent. "We are both fine for now."

"What would you like us to do?" Anya asks reading the look on Lexa's face.

"Keep an eye on the council and stay close to Raven." Lexa tells her. Anya nods, fighting back a smile at the mention of the only one of the Sky People she trusts. "Gustus did you learn anything from Kane?"

"He talks too much, but he is fascinated with our people and intimidated by me." he answers.

"Good, stay close and keep him interested, teach him a few things." Lexa instructs and he nods his understanding.

"And Clarke?" Anya asks not wanting to cause a rift between Lexa and Clarke with their mistrust of the Sky People.

"She will be giving her mother a chance to rebuild their relationship." Lexa answers reading the concern in Anya's voice. "And so will I."

"You speak as if they have already earned their place." Gustus points out.

"Clarke impressed upon her mother the importance of their success. She won't want to let her daughter down again. There will be news soon." Lexa's confident of her statement. There's too much at stake on both ends for the Skaikru to fail.


	16. The hand that Feeds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They created preppy super zombies and Raven is NOT happy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the reviews on the previous chapter! you guys are awesome and always encourage me to keep writing. I love all your insights.
> 
> this chapter was very difficult to write with all the medical/science talk and trying to make things seem as plausible as possible and none of that would have happened without help from my fairytaleslayer and her access to a wealth of medical information. if you haven't yet, i suggest you check out her stories.
> 
> enjoy the read and let me know what you think and get ready for more in the silent moments, coming soon!

 

* * *

"You wanted to see me?" Anya asks stepping into the Commander's tent. Lexa, Gustus, Caris and a small contingency of Lexa's guards had left for Tondc earlier that morning to meet with the Ambassadors of the other clans and give them an update on the new arrivals. Clarke and Anya stayed behind with the rest of the army to keep watch over the Ark.

"Yes," Clarke nods inviting Anya to have a seat. "I'm sure Lexa gave you, your assignment last night?"

"Keep watch over the council and stay with Raven." Anya repeats Lexa's words. "Although, I suspect the last part came from you."

"My mother trusts Raven and I trust Raven. She's important to both sides." Clarke says.

"You've always been a terrible liar." Anya challenges.

"I just think the two of you would be good with each other." Clarke says.

"This is not the time to be thinking of romantic entanglements, Clarke." Anya scolds.

Clarke smirks. "I said nothing of romance, Anya."

"I liked you better when you were afraid of me." Anya grumbles.

Clarke just laughs before sliding over some covered bowls to which Anya raises her brow. "It's for you and Raven, you both haven't eaten yet."

"How do you know Raven hasn't eaten?" Anya asks suspiciously.

"It's Raven, I'm sure you've noticed when she's on a project she gets into her own world and won't stop unless she needs to use the bathroom or passes out."

"So why am I taking food to her, do your people not provide for their own?" Anya asks raising a challenging brow

"Because she needs a break and you need a reason to see her and find out what's been going on." Clarke explains. "It's a win-win really."

"You could just ask her for the information yourself." Anya points out.

"I could, but considering you sent Octavia to keep an eye on her yesterday, I figured you'd like the opportunity to see her yourself. Besides I have plans of my own today."

"Lexa will only be gone the day, there's no need for self comforting." Anya teases and Clarke gasps at the insinuation.

"I actually meant training Octavia and the others!" Clarke defends as Anya tries to hold back her laughter. "Maybe you shouldn't be around Raven if this is her influence."

Anya stands bowls of food in hand. "Fortunately my orders came from Heda and cannot be disobeyed. Enjoy your day with the goufas." she calls walking out of the tent before Clarke can respond.

* * *

A light knock pulls Raven away from her work rewiring the radio. She'd cannibalized wires from the other MRI machines, once she was finished fixing the working one and had decided to give the radio another shot.

Another knock sounds a bit louder than the previous one. Raven sighs and gets up pulling the door open. "What part of do not disturb wasn't clear."

"I speak Gonasleng, doesn't mean I read it." Anya answers.

"Oh," Raven rubs her neck slightly dumbfounded. "Anya, I uh… thought you were someone else...what brings you over?" Although surprised by her guest, Raven is relieved it's Anya and not Finn. Over the last few days whenever she's not been with Anya or Octavia, the boy has tried to corner her into conversation and charm his way back into her bed.

"Who is it you do not wish to be disturbed by?" Anya asks making her way into the small work station.

"Nobody important," Raven answers closing the door behind her. "Just Finn, he doesn't handle rejection well."

"Do you want me to take care of him?" Anya asks and Raven seriously considers it for a split second, but they're already low on numbers and she can handle Finn.

"I can handle him, but thanks." Raven says. "So what brings you over?"

"Are you hungry?" the General asks in lieu of an actual answer. Filing the information about Finn to the back of her mind until she could get within range if the boy.

Raven's stomach answers for her with a loud growl and she blushes, glaring at her treacherous stomach. "I guess I am."

Anya sets down the bowls filled with fresh fruit, warm eggs, cooked meat and baked bread.

Raven digs in immediately and Anya sits back and watches her eat leaving her own food untouched. Half way through Raven looks up and notices Anya hasn't started eating yet and flushes at her lack of manners.

"Sorry," she says slowing down her bites. "Aren't you going to eat or is it a grounder thing to wait until someone else has eaten?"

"It's okay I'm glad you are enjoying the meal." Anya says with a chuckle. "I was waiting to see if you would like more."

"Back on the Ark or well in space since we are on the Ark." Raven says through another mouthful. "Food was rationed -everything was rationed actually- my mom, if you can even call her that, used to sell my rations for alcohol and drink herself stupid."

Anya breaks a piece of her bread and puts it on Raven's plate as she continues speaking. "Finn used to share his rations with me and always made sure I had something to eat."

"So he isn't as useless as he looks." Anya comments.

Raven chuckles. "Be nice," she chastises. "I'm just saying that on the days he couldn't get me anything, I'd get lost in the work and it helped me forget the hunger. I guess some habits die hard." she shrugs and then continues eating.

"On Earth we are only limited to what we can catch and what grows in the fields." Anya says.

"Is that why you were pissed at me about the grenades, mines and small explosives?" Raven asks.

"You are too loud and it will scare the animals and scar the land they feed off. Much like this ship has destroyed. If the animals cannot feed they will leave and settle elsewhere and our hunts will be less fruitful, which means our people will go hungry." Anya confirms.

"Yeah I'd be pissed at me too, now you put it that way." Raven answers before polishing off the rest of her meal.

* * *

"Abby the tests results are in." Jackson calls as he walks into the room with the print out.

"What's it say?" Abby asks taking the paperwork from his hands.

"I have no idea, I've never seen that sort of chemical composition in my life." Jackson answers. "we should call the council together and hope one of them knows what it means."

Abby walks over to the nearest intercom and calls for all members of the council and Raven to gather in the meeting room.

A few minutes later the council members are assembled and reading the results of the blood work.

"What exactly is this?" Raven asks. She's a mechanical engineer not a chemist. All she can tell is it's some sort of biochemical compound. The question is asked both for her benefit as well as Anya, who's staring blankly at the paper in her hand.

"It's what they've been using to drug and control the Reapers." Pike answers. "I mean, I've done the reading on the subject of mind control, but I never believed it was true or even possible."

"What exactly are they using and how do we fix it?" Raven prods, she's not one for all this build up.

"They're using a combination of two drugs; PCP and scopolamine." Pike starts to explain. "Scopolamine is an anticholinergic, which basically means it slows everything down. It's a depressant of epinephrine and norepinephrine, in other words your fight or flight response. The government had been using it outside of its regular use to try and create an army that would be easily controlled and fearless, but most of the results were failures because it couldn't cross the blood brain barrier and get into the central nervous system.

"Okay so if those tests failed then how come they're successful or seemingly so now?" Kane questions from his seat at the table.

"Mount Weather used to be a scientific research military facility. They'd have the resources, manpower and almost a century to work out what had been going wrong in their previous tests." Hannah Green, Monty's mother answers from her place next to Pike.

"Exactly it's plausible that along the way someone realized PCP, was the solution to their problem," Pike continues on Hannah's train of thought. "This drug back in its day was known to elicit bizarre behavior, agitation and violence in those who used it, delusions of superhuman strength were also common side effects of the drug. It can mimic schizophrenia by causing excess excitatory neurotransmitter release like glutamate and also keeps dopamine serotonin and norepinephrine floating around in your brain."

Pike has the floor as he carries on, almost as if he is speaking to himself instead of to a room full of people.

"It's a brilliant solution if you think about it." Pike says through an incredulous laugh and Hannah nods along in agreement with him. She wonders what else they Mountain Men have discovered over the decades on Earth.

"This isn't a laughing matter Pike." Kane scolds and Pike schools his features before explaining his discovery.

"The scopolamine would make them easily manipulated but because it's a depressant and can't access the central nervous system you may as well stick them in a corner because they'd be useless. However add in PCP, which can cross over the blood brain barrier, and all of that excitatory bombardment in just the right balance you've created a violent and easily controlled soldier who will keep going until you put them down."

"So they created peppy super zombies. Great." Raven shakes her head. It explains why the Reapers kept fighting even after they'd been hit with grenades and if the mountain has an army of them in the tunnels, she doesn't like their chances of winning this impending war.

"Okay, but if they're that violent why wouldn't they attack the Mountain Men?" Abby inquires.

"You don't bite the hand that feeds you." Hannah says. "PCP is very addictive and the withdrawal process is very painful and would cause the user to go into a frenzy. After the first dose wears off they probably let them suffer a few days before giving them another dose and hooking them to it."

Raven swears she hears Anya grunt from behind her, she steps back and reaches out squeezing the blonde's wrist hoping to keep her calm. Happy when she feels her relax just a bit. Abby doesn't miss the move, but chooses to deal with this more pressing matter first.

"If we can synthesise physostigmine it would reverse the effects of the scopolamine and then we could let them detox from the PCP." Abby suggests.

"That would kill them," Hannah speaks out. "without the scopolamine, the PCP would overload their system resulting in them possibly overheating or having a seizure, either way they'd die."

"So we're screwed?" Jackson sighs out frustrated.

"Not necessarily," Pike tells them and turns to Hannah. "Is there something we could use to counteract those effects?"

Hannah takes a minute to think over her answer and looking over the results once more. "A benzodiazepine could work. In theory it would relax the muscles, but we would need to get the mixture just right."

"If we could get the benzodiazepine, maybe we could set them up on a continuous drip over a few hours while the physostigmine works." Jackson suggests.

"Yes, that's a good idea." Hannah nods.

"Where would we even get benzodiazepine?" Kane interrupts.

"Anyone who has epilepsy should have some," Abby says. "Raven, if you can get our systems back online, Jackson and I should be able to access patient files and see who would have had a prescription."

"No problem Doc." Raven nods.

"We'll also need some working infusion pumps." Hannah adds in.

"I'm on it." Raven says pulling out a marker and scribbling on her arm. "Anything else?"

"I think that's it for now Raven, Thank you." Abby says eyes fixed on Anya standing stoically in the background. "General, I'm sure the Commander will be anxious to hear the news."

"We are a people of action Chancellor, all I've heard so far is words." Anya speaks out, she knows that Abby is suspicious of her and probably trying to get her out of the room.

"We do have to talk about the risks." Pike speaks up oblivious to the tension.

"Pike, I think that's a discussion best had at another time." Abby tries shushing his concerns.

"Abby that's not fair, if we want the grounders to trust us then we need to be upfront with everything," Pike protests. "These men have families, they're someone's father, brother or son. They are her people." he nods in Anya's direction. "If this was Clarke you'd want to know the risks involved if we failed."

"Risks we already discussed and found a solution to." Abby counters.

"Even if this works there's the chance their heart could stop from the trauma." Pike continues eyes fixed on Anya. "We don't know how long they've been exposed to the drug, what damage it could have caused to their brains. They may not be the same people they were before this."

"Thank you for your honesty Pike Kom Skaikru," Anya nods her head. "I understand there may be challenges and should they die at least they will be restored to their honor and you will have learned from them, correct."

"Yes, that's right it would give us an indication of what to do better or the dosage." Hannah acknowledges.

"Then do as you must." Anya tells them.

"We'll do our best." Pike promises.

Abby adjourns the meeting a few minutes later once they've agreed to do some more blood tests to see how much of the drug is still left in the Reapers system. Raven is happy she can get to work on getting the medical systems back online, while Jackson has offered to sort through the medical equipment to find the infusion pumps and any spare parts they could use.

* * *

Anya sits in Raven's workshop watching as the brunette gets sucked back into her work. On the way back from the meeting, Raven had explained what everyone will be doing and why. She'd also made her own promise to Anya that she'd do her best.

Anya had assured Raven that she's the only person she trusts on this ship and she's confident in Raven's ability.

Both women are comfortable in the silence of the workshop. Anya feels less confined in Raven's presence. It still doesn't stop her from reaching for her sword when she hears heavy footsteps approaching. Raven hasn't seemed to notice though, too distracted by the contraption in her hands. Anya stands placing herself between Raven and the door of the small room just in case.

The loud banging on the door echoes through the room and shakes Raven out of her trance. Looking up she's met with Anya's back, the warrior is standing primed for attack, sword in hand. "What are you doing?" Raven asks.

"Protecting you." Anya answers eyes locked on the door.

"I don't need protecting." Raven counters as another thunderous knock falls to the door.

"Raven! Are you in there? It's me." Bellamy calls from outside the door.

"Hey Bell, just a sec." Raven calls back, turning her attention to Anya. "It's just Bellamy, you can put that away."

The two women stare at each other for a moment. Raven crosses her arms and raises a brow at the taller woman. Anya is stoned faced, but finally relents and relaxes her posture.

"I don't need a sword to fight." She says making her way back to the work bench.

"Raven, what are you doing in there." Bellamy reminds the two of his presence.

Raven turns back to the door and opens it. "Sup Bell?" She greets him with a smile.

"Why is it there was a council meeting and I wasn't invited, but you were?" He asks all pleasantries aside. A frown quickly replaces Raven's smile.

"Why would you need to be there?" Raven shoots back, brows raised.

"Because the delinquents are my responsibility." He answers arms crossed over his broad chest.

"Who died and made you the boss? Clarke wasn't even there, so it's not a big deal" Raven scoffs. "Besides most of what was said would have gone over your head."

Bellamy stands to his full length, casting his eyes down to Raven who just stares back up at him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? Just because I consult with Clarke doesn't mean she's in charge!" He practically growls.

"Did I stutter?" Raven doesn't back down. "At least she would have kept up with the science, you'd have been out of your depth."

"Open your eyes Raven! She doesn't care about us, she hasn't even been here since she issued those threats to exile our people, her own mother!" Bellamy takes another step invading her personal space. "She's too busy laying up under the Commander to even consider us."

"You'd do well to watch your tongue." Anya decides to make her presence known and grabs her sword from the workbench, the glint of the blade draws Bellamy's attention to her as she runs a cloth over the sharp edge of the weapon. He seems to understand her unspoken message as he backs away from Raven who crosses her arms over her chest.

"While you continue throwing your little tantrum Bellamy, I'm going to get back to being useful and save the Reapers that, Clarke and the others, risked their lives to bring back and give our people a chance to earn the trust of the Coalition." Raven says. "Maybe you should try doing the same instead of trying to be the boss of everyone."

"Whatever Raven, this isn't over." Bellamy huffs exiting the room and slamming the door behind him.

Raven sighs and uncrosses her arms. "You're as subtle as a brick wall," she tells Anya nodding to the sword. "Even if I had it under control, thanks for the assist." All she gets in return is a knowing smirk.

* * *

Bellamy is still fuming when he finally finds Abby. "Doctor Griffin," he calls out once he spots her talking to Pike.

"Bellamy, how can I help you?" She asks him politely.

"Why wasn't I called into the council meeting this morning?" He asks trying to remain calm.

"Your presence wasn't required, if it was we'd have called you and Clarke in." Abby answers him, baffled by his mood. The mention of her daughter's name seems to sour his mood even more.

"But Raven's was? Or the grounder that's been following her around like a lost puppy?"

"Raven is our only mechanic, she needed to be there so she knows what she needs to do to help us cure the reapers." Abby explains, though she finds it unnecessary. "Anya has been assigned by Commander Lexa as her personal guard and the grounder Liaison so they came as a package deal."

"There's nothing to be upset about son." Pike adds. "Everyone will be involved when we know more."

"I should be involved from the start, I'm the one the others look to for answers." Bellamy protests. "This isn't the Ark and we aren't in prison, if it wasn't for us you wouldn't even be alive right now."

"And we are currently on a deadline to save everyone in this camp from being exiled to a barren wasteland, this isn't the time to be throwing a tantrum." Abby scolds him. "Leadership is about the well-being of those who look to you, not about elevating yourself."

Pike can see Bellamy isn't taking too kindly to Abby's words. "Abby why don't you go see how far Jackson and Hannah are with the physostigmine." He suggests hoping to avoid a public argument, especially in front of the grounders walking around, some already stopping to look in their direction.

Abby looks between the two and reads the look on Pike's face as his eyes shift around and she realizes all the eyes on them. She nods and walks off without another word.

"Don't take it personally Bellamy," he tells the boy. "Right now we are in a delicate situation and we need to all be focused on that and making sure the grounders know they can trust us. You've done a good job in getting them to trust you, but we haven't earned that yet." His words seem to have the desired effect as Bellamy calms a bit. "It's not always easy sitting on the sidelines and not being in the loop, but I promise you once we fix the Reapers and get an alliance of our own with the Commander, we can work towards making sure everyone is included in the decision making."

Bellamy lets out a heavy sigh, casting his eyes in the direction that Abby had just gone. "You should have been Chancellor." He grits out.

Pike pats him on the shoulder. "A mother on a mission is the leader our people need right now. Abby is doing all she can to ensure our continued survival."

"She just acts like she's above it all and she doesn't care how much it rubs people the wrong way. I just can't wait for this to all be over so I don't need to follow orders from her anymore." Bellamy gripes before walking away.

Pike just shakes his head watching the boy storm off. Right now he's got more important things to worry about. He just hopes they get through in time.

* * *

Octavia flips end over end and lands with a solid thud on the ground, for what feels like the millionth time today. She decides to just lay there and maybe her opponent will think she's dead and go easy on her. When Clarke had told her and the others they'd have fight training today, she expected to be facing off against Clarke and some of the other warriors. To all of their dismay when they arrived at the training ground, Clarke was surrounded by a bunch of preteens and introduced them as their sparring partners.

Octavia, Harper, Monroe, Roma and Fox, had all protested how unfair it is to pit them against these little kids. Clarke had retorted a fair fight would be to send all five of them against one of those "little kids", ego thoroughly wounded Octavia had stepped forward, ready to fight.

Clarke paired her up with a wiry twelve year old girl she was tall for her age, but very petite, how much of a challenge could she be. Octavia, regrets those thoughts and even promising to go easy on her. The girl hadn't even responded just waited to start the match, within seconds she'd shut down Octavia and had her pinned to the ground.

"You are improving," Tris -the agile and strong for her age- warrior speaks, breaking Octavia out of her thoughts. She's standing over Octavia's prone form with a hand extended. "Would you like to continue Oktevia?" She asks and it comes out so innocent, that if Octavia hadn't just had her ass handed to her by this kid for the umpteenth time she'd actually believe her innocence.

Octavia huffs and accepts the extended hand to get herself up off the ground. "I think it'd be in the best interest of my body, if you taught me a few moves, instead of throwing me around."

Tris nods with a soft smile. "Okay we can do that instead, I will get us some water first."

"Thanks." Octavia calls as the girl walks off to the other end of the ring to get them both a drink.

"If it makes you feel better, the others aren't faring any better and you are really showing improvement." Clarke tells her with a hand on her shoulder.

"She's so tiny and so fierce. I want to be her!"

"She's been training since she could walk and she's been training with Anya for about a year now, so you may be at a slight disadvantage." Clarke chuckles.

"Hold up, she's Anya's second, I thought you were?" Octavia asks confused.

"We both are, you can have more than one second, just like you can have more than one mentor." Clarke explains as Tris returns with a cup full of water for Octavia.

The brunette finishes her drink in two big gulps. "Mochof Tris, I needed that."

"Pro." Tris answers with a smile.

"Your Trigedasleng is also improving." Clarke compliments.

"Lincoln's been teaching me a few things." Octavia beams.

"See you can have more than one teacher. Keep up the good work, both of you." Clarke says before going off to check how the others are doing.

"Alright kid, now show me how to toss someone twice my size over my shoulder." She hears Octavia tell Tris and she laughs when the younger girl tells her she's not a _goufa_.


	17. Reapercussions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clexa decided sin needed to be part of this chapter, Enjoy!

"Do you really believe they can reverse whatever the Mountain Men have done to the Reapers?" Luna asks Lexa.

The two are having a light meal before Lexa and the others, including Indra set off back to the crash site. The meeting with the Ambassadors had been a tedious affair, with questions and accusations being thrown around. The decision to give the newly arrived Skaikru a chance to turn back the Reapers had been a point of contention for most of the discussion. Many unwilling to believe this could be achieved. Lexa had stood her ground reminding the doubters that her first duty is to her people, including Reapers and their families, despite what the mountain has done to them, they are still her people and if the Skaikru have found a way to return them to themselves then they have to be given the opportunity to do so.

Even after her impassioned speech, it had taken a lot of Lexa's patience and backing from her allies within the Coalition to finally settle the matter. All of the ambassadors would be at the crash site by dawn tomorrow to see what the Skaikru can do and if they failed to ensure they were banished, although some ambassadors wanted them all killed.

"I would not have given them the opportunity if I did not." Lexa answers, hoping her confidence will be proven right.

"If they can't?" Luna prods further. She trusts Lexa's decision, but she wants to make sure the young leader is committed to the consequences of failure. There have been murmurs within some of the ambassadors about a rebellion over the last few days. Luna knows if the Skaikru fail and Lexa doesn't ban them, she may face a battle their people cannot afford to wage right now.

"They will be banished." Lexa tells her.

"What about Clarke?" Luna asks turning to face Lexa.

"She understands, she is Trikru." Luna sees the heaviness of the decision Lexa may be forced to make weigh on her for just a moment, before she composes herself again. Always doing what is best for her people, even at the expense of herself.

"You are a fair and wise leader Lexa, more so than the best among us." Luna pats Lexa on the shoulder.

"I am only doing what is best for our people." Lexa replies, just as Indra approaches them, with her weapons and armor on.

"Heda, I am ready to depart whenever you are." Indra tells her and Lexa nods standing from the table with Luna following the action.

"Lexa, Indra, have a safe journey back." She wishes both women and gives the customary handshake.

"Keep my town safe." Indra tells her with a small crack of a smile.

With that Indra follows Lexa and the others to the gates where the horses are waiting. She calls out a few more orders as she gets on her horse. Her warriors acknowledge her orders and then they set off.

* * *

 

Abby feels odd walking through the grounder camp unimpeded by Gustus. She looks around to see if she spots him and breathes out a sigh of relief when there's no sign of him. In the distance she spots Clarke with the group of girls that had come to camp for training this morning. They're all gathered around her listening very intently.

Abby walks up to the group. "It's loud steps like that, which alert the enemy to your presence." Clarke says turning to face Abby. "You're a bit late to join the training session Chancellor."

"Maybe I'll catch the next one." Abby replies casually

"Is there something you need?" Clarke asks.

"Yes, I would like to speak to you in private. We've made some progress." Abby tells her without giving too much away. Eyes flashing to Octavia for a moment, which doesn't go unnoticed by the brunette or Clarke.

Clarke turns back to her students. "You guys did great today, keep up the good work and I'll see you back here tomorrow." She dismisses them.

Once the area is cleared out she turns to face her mother, who is waiting patiently. "I'm all ears."

"Can we go somewhere more private?" Abby asks looking around the open field wary of listening ears.

"Of course," Clarke nods. "Follow me."

It's a short walk to the tent. The guards let them pass with nothing more than a curt nod.

"Have a seat," Clarke instructs pointing to the table. Abby complies and readily accepts the cup she's handed, taking a cautious sip to make sure it's not the wine from the other night. She's relieved when the liquid turns out to be water. Clarke chuckles at her actions. "Don't worry, the wine is only served at dinner."

"That's good information to know." Abby laughs.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Clarke asks taking a seat across from her mother.

"I was actually hoping to speak to you and Lexa. Where is she?" Abby asks noticing the absence of the Commander.

"She's gone to TonDC to give the ambassadors of the other clans an update on what's been happening over the last few days. She'll be back by nightfall if you'd rather wait?" Clarke offers.

"No that's okay, I'm sure you'll be able to explain the information more easily to her."

Clarke nods and Abby launches into the explanation of what they've discovered in the Reapers' blood work. Using a simplified version of Hannah and Pike's theory on how they will be able to turn them back and the possible side effects of the treatment. Clarke listens intently and asks questions whenever there is something she doesn't understand. Abby then tells her what everyone is currently working on and the expected timeline for them to have everything ready. After Raven left the room, the rest of the council decided it would be best to treat one of the Reapers before the other and had run comparative blood tests to determine which one would go first based on the levels of the drug still present in his system.

"Wow, you guys have really been busy." Clarke comments as Abby finishes relaying the information. "What do you think your chances of success are?"

Abby takes a drink of her water and sags into her seat a bit more. She's clearly exhausted. Clarke understands the past few days have been stressful and she's coming to respect the way her mother has stepped up to the challenge. Both women know if the Ark wanted to, they have enough guns to probably kill off the entire camp of grounders. It would be a strategically idiotic move, but an option nonetheless. An option they haven't taken under her mother's leadership.

Abby puts her mug down and looks her daughter in the eye. She realizes how monumental this moment is in their current relationship. It's the first time they've been able to talk for so long without getting into a shouting match or having weapons drawn, even if it's all about the business at hand. She hopes it's a stepping stone for them to rebuild their mother-daughter relationship. Right now though she has to stay on task and not squander the opportunity Lexa has afforded her and her people. An opportunity she is beyond grateful for to the young leader.

"Honestly there is a lot of science and mechanics behind this, if we can get everything just right then we have a chance." Abby answers, hoping that she's right. "However we know our chances of success also hinge on many variables that we can't control, especially whatever additional effects this drug may have had on your warriors. We want to be cautious and that's why we are doing it one at a time, if we see positive signs with one then we will start treatment on the other."

"You're cautiously optimistic." Clarke tells her and Abby smiles. Whenever she was preparing for a surgery back on the Ark and Clarke would ask her about it, even if it was a routine operation she would give Clarke her standard answer. She's cautiously optimistic.

"Yes, cautiously optimistic." Abby savors this peaceful moment with her daughter, she knows it may not last on their next topic. "There's something more we need to discuss."

Clarke sensing the change in tone straightens up, bracing herself. "Okay what is it?"

"Bellamy," Clarke's suspicions about their topic of conversation was proven right if her mother's reaction to Octavia's presence was any indication. "what's his role down here and how's your relationship with him?" Abby starts off with a question. She needs to get a sense of where he fits in so she knows how measured her words should be.

Clarke scrunches her brows for a moment at the unexpected question about her and Bellamy's relationship."Before I came to live with the delinquents, he had taken charge and the large majority followed him." Clarke starts explaining. "I think the fact he was an Ark guard and possibly the only actual adult on board helped his case to be in charge. The kids weren't doing great though, no sense of self preservation, barely any food or safety measures. It was too easy for our scouts to be in and out of their camp without them even knowing."

Abby doesn't seem surprised by the news and Clarke continues. "The only person Bellamy is interested in protecting is his sister, Octavia, even if she doesn't need it." Octavia has grown and thrived in their time on Earth and Clarke is proud of how quickly she has picked up Trigedasleng and her work ethic. She may be the youngest among the group that Clarke is training, but she's the most advanced and spends her time helping out the others.

Clarke takes a few sips of her water, even with the cooler season, some days still feel like the middle of summer, today is no exception. "I think my relationship with him would be more contentious if I hadn't have saved Octavia on the riverbank. He's got a long way to go if he wants to be a leader. He's a good soldier to have, but too short sighted and single focused to be in a decision making position."

The words are harsh, but it is the truth. Lexa is the standard by which Clarke measures all other leaders. It may be an unfair comparison, but Lexa is a visionary she knows what her people need and is always working in their best interest. Bellamy on the other hand only had his own interests and what he thinks is best for his sister in mind. His actions put everyone that looked to him for guidance in danger. He's lucky it was the Trikru that found them and not one of the other clans.

"But you're not interested in my opinion of him as a leader," Clarke surmises. "You want to know if I trust him."

"You've always been very astute Clarke." Abby concedes.

"You should meet my parents." Clarke jokes to break some of the tension and Abby let's out a deep laugh. She knows Jake is still a sore subject, but she's happy to see Clarke can still have some lighthearted moments. There is still hope for them going forward. She hates that she has to break their moment. "What is it you need to tell me about Bellamy?"

"It seems the two of you share the same opinion of each other." Abby comments.

"How so?" Clarke raises her brow in confusion.

"Bellamy confronted Pike and I after the meeting, demanding to know why he wasn't invited, but Raven and Anya were." Abby starts to explain, keeping her words measured as Clarke hasn't specified if she trusts him or not. "I tried to explain to him that neither his or your presence were required as most of what was discussed was about trying to cure the Reapers and save ourselves."

Clarke nods listening intently. "At the mention of your name it's like I had offended him, it's why I wanted to know what your relationship with him is like. It's clear now more than ever it seems to be an alliance of convenience between you two."

"I won't deny that," Clarke states. "He's the one the council put in charge of watching over the kids after all, so I am keeping the peace and focusing on the fact we need to get them out of the mountain."

It's Abby's turn to be bemused by Clarke's words. "What do you mean the council put him in charge of the kids?"

"The ship you sent down was full of delinquents and by Ark law if Bellamy had committed a crime he'd have been floated for it, since he's older than eighteen, plus he was wearing a guard uniform." Clarke points out.

Abby shakes her head. "Of course he wouldn't tell the truth of how he got on the ship."

"What are you talking about?"

"The only people put on that ship by the council were Wells and Raven. Thelonious wanted to protect Wells and trusted that he would get everyone to the mountain. He agreed to send Raven, when it was pointed out that they'd need someone with her technical knowledge to assist in getting the place up and running again. Bellamy was never supposed to be on that ship."

Clarke sits back in her seat arms crossed, perplexed by what she's hearing. "So how did he get on the ship if he wasn't a prisoner or assigned as a guard?"

"Raven said she'd told you how bad things had gotten on the Ark before they were sent down." Clarke nods remembering the conversation she'd had with Raven about people being floated for even the smallest of offenses. "There were a few trusted guards that knew about the plans to send the kids to Earth and they didn't want their lives in the hands of a bunch of delinquent teenagers, so they came up with a plan and they needed a pawn to cast the blame on. Someone who they knew had lost a lot to the council and wouldn't want to lose anymore."

"Bellamy." Clarke remembers now -six months before her own imprisonment- hearing the stories in the passageways of the girl who lived in the floorboards, too young to be floated, but imprisoned for merely existing. The mother - Aurelia Blake - floated for breaking the Ark's Cardinal law.

"Yes, the guards told him about the dropship and promised that if he killed Thelonious, they would make sure that both him and his sister were on the ship. He didn't know she was already on the list." Abby continues on. "On the day the ship was scheduled for launch he shot Jaha and took advantage of the ensuing chaos to get on board without being noticed."

Clarke's shocked by what she's hearing, she knew Bellamy was hiding something but she didn't expect this. Her mind is reeling with flashes of the man she had once wanted to kill while locked away in her jail cell. Her heart aches for Wells, she may have had her issues with Jaha, but she knows what it's like to lose a father and now Wells had lost both his parents. He'd been fighting so hard to get to the mountain and save his father and it was all for nothing.

Abby's next words break through Clarke's thoughts. "The bullet did quite a bit of damage, but breaking a few rules I managed to get him stabilized."

"Wait." Clarke holds up her hand to stop her mother, needing a minute to processes the information. "He's still alive? Where is he? How come he isn't Chancellor?"

Her mother's face falls as she shakes her head. "He survived the bullet wound and stopped Kane from having me floated, but we had to make some tough decisions in the days and weeks to follow. The trackers seemed to show that the kids were succumbing to Earth's toxicity, at first it was two, immediately after impact and then all of a sudden they were fading in droves until only a few remained, we hadn't lost all hope yet." Abby sighs still feeling the tension in the room as it seemed their last hope was quickly fading with each passing day and dead child.

"It broke Thelonious' heart when Wells' tracker went out. We would all have given up if it wasn't for Sinclair realizing that they'd been removing the trackers, it gave us hope, but when we heard nothing we knew something had to be done."

Clarke knows the look in her mother's eyes; it's the look she always had when a surgery didn't go right, she couldn't save a patient. She once explained that sometimes losing a patient felt like she'd failed them and their families. It's the same look she gave Clarke the night she turned Jake into Jaha and he was floated. "What did you do?"

"We were running out of air and we didn't have a choice, the engineers needed more time if the plan to get us down to Earth was going to work." Abby is fighting back tears as she remembers the faces of all those people who sacrificed themselves. "We had to cull the population."

"How many people?" Clarke is horrified by what she's hearing, she didn't expect this to be the conversation they'd be having.

"Three hundred and twenty men and women. They volunteered, the elderly, mothers and fathers wanting to give their kids a chance to live freely. Thelonious volunteered to go as well, but others stepped in his place, encouraging him to continue to be the leader our people needed." The dam bursts and Abby's tears come running down her face. The guilt she's had to deal with knowing that if she had listened to and supported her husband all those people may have still been alive today.

"He kept his promise to them right up to the end. He sacrificed himself so that the other stations could break from the Ark safely and get to Earth." Abby swallows thickly. Clarke stands from her seat and engulfs her mother in her arms. "I'm sorry Clarke, I am so sorry, I failed you and I failed your father and all those families." Abby wails into her daughter's shoulder. Clarke just holds her tighter in her arms.

"You haven't failed them, you got them down here and you're going to cure the Reapers and prove yourselves worthy allies." Clarke comforts.

"If they hadn't have taken off the trackers, we would have been able to get down here so much sooner. I just don't understand why?" Abby laments.

"Because he's a coward." Clarke grits out. "The only reason they would have removed them is because Bellamy convinced them to do it. If you guys thought Earth wasn't habitable then he wouldn't have to face the consequences of his actions." She grips her mother tighter as the realization dawns on her, all that she could have lost. "He didn't care that you all would have died, the only person he cares about is here on Earth, safe. The council floated his mother and imprisoned his sister for her existence, he doesn't owe you his loyalty. Wells tried to warn me about Bellamy and I was just too stubborn to listen, too angry at him."

The sound of a horn in the distance breaks them from their embrace. "Raven's right, you do have a lot of horns." Abby breaks the tension with her observation and they both laugh. "So what's that mean?"

Clarke takes a breath and composes herself, giving her mother the time she needs to do the same. She has to speak to Lexa about all of this new information. "The horns are to let us know that Heda has returned."

"I didn't hear one when she left earlier today." Abby says wiping away the last of her tears.

"She left before sun up and nobody wants to be woken that early. Especially this close to the mountain it's safer for her to travel under cover of darkness and silence. The return horn is more for my benefit really." Clarke explains.

The two walk out of the tent carrying on a lighter conversation as they make their way to the front of the camp to greet Lexa. Abby can't help but note how giddy her daughter is at just the thought of her wife. Neither notice the eyes on them through the crowd.

* * *

 

The sound of the horn stops Bellamy in his tracks, he watches the grounders for reaction, wondering if this is another acid fog attack. There is some commotion but nobody is going inside, instead the kids in the camp are all clamoring towards the gates. Assured that it's safe, Bellamy continues his path to the Commander's tent where he knows he'll find Clarke. He needs to talk to her and let her know what the council is trying to get up to behind their backs.

He doesn't get too far before spotting Clarke stepping out of the tent, followed by Abby. The mother-daughter pair are laughing as they exit. Bellamy curses under his breath he's too late. Abby's already managed to get her hooks into Clarke. He ducks out of sight as the two pass by also moving towards the gate. Using the growing crowd he follows behind them keeping close watch on the two, trying to get close enough to hear their conversation.

Bellamy nearly jumps out of his skin when a hand falls on his shoulder, he turns around eyes wild, hands reaching for the gun he's concealed. "Whoa big brother, did you drink the last of Jasper and Monty's moonshine?" Octavia's cheery voice has him dropping his hand and glaring at her.

"Don't you know sneaking up on people could get you killed?" Bellamy admonishes.

"Not if you're doing it right." Octavia teases already used to her brother's dramatics.

Bellamy grits his teeth at the reminder of his sister's training with the grounders, it's something he'll deal with later. "Whatever O, I don't have time for this now."

Octavia grips his arm and turns him around as the crowd passes around them. "Hey what's going on with you?"

"Nothing I'm fine." He lies.

"Bullshit, you've been on edge ever since the Ark landed." Octavia calls him out.

"How would you even know? You're too busy running around trying to be a grounder." Bellamy spits out defensively. Now Octavia is sure there's something eating away at her brother. Deflection has always been his tell.

She grips his forearm and gives it a squeeze. "Bell, whatever is going on you can tell me." her tone is soft and non-threatening. "You don't have to carry your burdens alone, I know something has been eating at you ever since we got down here and I thought maybe some space would help, you'd tell me when you were ready. There's no secrets among Blakes remember?"

Bellamy sighs releasing some of the tension from his body. Octavia is right, if he can't trust his own sister then who can he trust. He knows she won't betray him and is most likely to understand why he did what he did. He puts his arm around her pulling her closer and she easily falls into his hug. "When did you become the smart one?" He jokes voice light.

Octavia nudges him in the side with her elbow. "I've always been the smart one."

"Yeah yeah, I got the beauty and you got the brains kid."

"Whatever, are you going to tell me what's going on or keep side-eyeing Clarke and her mom?"

"Am I being that obvious?" He asks turning his attention back to his sister. Octavia just nods. Bellamy runs a hand through his hair, taking the time to formulate what he's going to tell his sister, so much has happened in such a short time he doesn't even know where to begin. "Finn found a bunker a few miles east of here, it's pretty spacious, well built and could hold a at least twenty people."

Of all the things Octavia expected to hear, what Bellamy just said wasn't even remotely on her radar. "A bunker with Finn? What's that have to do with anything?"

"We've been talking and he's made some valid points," Bellamy starts to explain. "We were sent to Earth to see if it was safe to live and we've proved it is. The rest of the Ark is here now and they're obviously more valuable to the grounders than us. All the Commander sees us as, is extra bodies to fight a war against the mountain. A war we have no business being in."

"Bellamy what the hell do you mean we have no business there? Our friends are in that mountain in case you forgot!"

"I seem to be the only one that's remembered they're there!" Bellamy challenges. "Ever since the Ark landed all I've heard talk about is curing the Reapers not even a mention about those in the mountain. The only thing that Clarke or the Commander are worried about are _their_ people. Clarke has no allegiance to us, she's a _grounder_."

Octavia's eyes dart around, she's relieved to see they're alone, most of the crowd already at the gate waiting to greet Lexa. She's about to interrupt him to correct his thinking and remind him of how much Clarke has done for them, for _her,_ but her brother holds up a hand, which she glares at.

"You can't tell me she isn't biased towards _them,"_ he spits the last word face twisting in disgust. "She's been down here for three years and Finn told me she's been sleeping with the Commander."

Octavia clenches her jaw, reminding herself Bellamy is her brother and she shouldn't punch him although she wants to right now.

" _One_ ; since when are you and Finn such good friends? Because the two of you must be spending a lot of time together to be swallowing the heaps of bullshit I just heard." Octavia holds up a finger to silence her brother, he's had his turn and now it's hers. " _Secondly_ , the dropship _and_ the Ark both invaded Trikru territory. If it wasn't for Clarke we'd have all been dead by now due to our own stupidity. Clarke also went to bat for us so we could be part of the alliance with the other clans, in case you've forgotten most of them wanted us dead," Octavia is trying to remain calm, she just can't believe how stubborn Bellamy is being. "Lexa didn't have to show the Ark leniency, but she did and curing the Reapers benefits all of us, unless you want to fight your way through them to get to Mount Weather. Don't you dare play the _this is about our people_ card when you're planning to run away with Finn and live in a bunker in the woods. What the hell is really going on, what are you really running from?"

"I killed Jaha." The words are out of his mouth before he even realizes what he's said and Octavia is stunned into silence at the revelation. Octavia doesn't even get to express her dismay as the words continue to spill from Bellamy's mouth. "The guards told me about the plan to send some of the prisoners to Earth. The Ark had two ships that could make it and once the council knew it was safe they'd have boarded the second ship with their handpicked people and left the rest of us for dead. Colonel Lee told me if I killed Jaha that they'd make sure the both of us were on the first ship. The guards would then take control of the Ark and get as many people down as they could. Obviously something went wrong, Abby is the chancellor and Miller and Byrne are now in charge."

"They lied to you," are the first words that come out of Octavia's mouth, they used her to make her brother commit such an unspeakable crime, something he'd never have done were it not for his sense of duty to her. "They'd chosen a hundred of us and had been teaching us Earth skills for two months before they sent us down." Octavia reveals.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Bellamy questions.

"I couldn't!" Octavia defends. "They told us if we told anyone that they'd float everyone we loved. Two of the guys who were set to go didn't believe them and told their parents about the classes, the next day neither of them were in class and a week later the guards pulled us from our beds to watch them and their parents be floated." Octavia shudders at the memory and the fear she saw in the eyes of those two boys. "Finally Murphy asked why they were going through so much trouble to keep us quiet and Jaha himself came into class and told us about the mission, gave a big speech on freedom and our crimes being forgiven. I didn't care as long as I got to get off this ship, not be cramped under the floors or locked in a cell. I wanted for once to take care of you."

Bellamy is reeling at the revelation livid those guards had used his sister to bait him into doing their dirty work. He's been in a state of panic ever since he found out Abby, Jaha's closest friend, had somehow managed to become Chancellor. He's been waiting for her retaliation. Grateful for the reprieve of their impending banishment, they wouldn't be able to touch him or use Octavia against him ever again if they were sent off. The meeting this morning had spooked him, they've got to be close to finding a cure and if they are then that means soon they'll be part of the alliance and once the mountain isn't a distraction anymore, the adults will try to take control. Abby is already positioning herself in the graces of Clarke and the Commander.

"They aren't in charge down here Bell." Octavia tells him as if reading his mind.

"It doesn't mean they won't try." He grits out.

"Clarke won't let them." Octavia guarantees and the sting of his own sister having more faith in Clarke than him is more than he can imagine. He's been her protector all his life and this girl they've known for a month is who she puts her trust in. "We are going to conquer the mountain and get our people back and once we do, we won't have to live with the Ark, we can live with one of the clans. I've talked to Clarke about it and she's okay with that and will do everything she can to make it happen."

"We aren't grounders Octavia!" Bellamy explodes. "You need to get that through your head and stop trying to be one before it gets you hurt or killed."

His words sting but Octavia stands firm, stands straighter in defiance of him. "Bell, you're my brother and I love you, but you're being an asshole right now. I don't need you to take care of me. I can do that on my own. So if you want to runaway with Finn go ahead, but I'm going to stay here and help my people!" She pushes past him headed toward the awaiting crowd. A concerned Lincoln coming up toward her, he'd seen the entire exchange, but kept his distance, wanting to give the pair some privacy.

Bellamy watches the two interact, blending into the crowd. He stands there for another minute before walking off.

* * *

 

The pomp and circumstance over, Lexa and Clarke finally get some time alone. Clarke's heart is bursting with the happiness radiating from wife's face as she walks into the tent and sees the big warm bath waiting for them. Lexa turns around the smile she only reserves for Clarke firmly in place eyes bright. "Every day I wonder what great I did in previous lives to deserve you."

"I wouldn't be surprised if a past version of you saved the world." Clarke jokes.

Lexa pulls Clarke into her arms and places a gentle kiss to her lips. "Ai hod yu in." She breathes against her lips before deepening the kiss.

Clarke reciprocates pouring her love into the kiss. Her hands between their bodies expertly unbuckling the layers of Lexa's armor. Clarke pulls away to push off the shoulder guard and heavy coat, kissing every inch of revealed skin as the items fall to the floor with a thud. Lexa's pants fall next, Clarke's hands guiding them off her hips and down her legs kissing her way down as she goes. Lexa's hand runs through Clarke's unbraided hair as she goes, their eyes connect as Lexa steps back and out of her pants. The moment is intimate and sweet a reacquainting of each other after their time apart. Lexa's undergarments are pulled off in quick succession as Clarke stands to her full height once more.

Lexa makes quick work of her wife's clothes, adding them to the pile of her own, between languid kisses. Lexa pulls back once Clarke is bare before her and takes a moment to admire Clarke's body, the contrast between her soft curves and hard muscles. She wants to spend every second they have together worshiping every inch of Clarke's body. Clarke steps back into Lexa's personal space kissing her neck softly while gently guiding them towards the awaiting tub.

Lexa's back hitting the tub is what separates them, breathing heavy and unsteady. Both sets of eyes clouded in lust and shades darker than usual. Clarke's hand runs up the inside of Lexa's thigh feeling the warmth and wetness the closer she gets to Lexa's center, she presses kisses into Lexa's neck running her teeth over her collarbone as Lexa gives into her ministrations her stance widening unconsciously.

"The bath will get cold." Lexa's protest is weak, her own hand working its way between Clarke's legs as the other grips the edge of the tub for support.

Clarke pulls her face back while her hand continues to tease Lexa's clit and looks her in the eyes. "It won't, I've accounted for this although my original plans included the bath." She's impressed she manages to get her words out with Lexa's fingers running along her folds.

Lexa pulls back once more. "I brought you back a gift." She pants against Clarke's lips.

"And I'm going to show you just how thankful I am for it." Clarke answers pulling Lexa back in. Lexa makes a small noise of agreement, leaning forward to recapture Clarke's already kiss swollen lips. It's not the first time they've been so in tune with the others need as their fingers slide into each other's sexes, creating a rhythm, slowly building each other up towards climax. Resting their foreheads together they're in their own bubble the world has fallen away and nothing else exists in this moment, eyes locked and hearts pumping in time. Kissing between moans of pleasure as they pick up their pace in unison, they are unrushed and savoring, eyes open to read the passion on their loves face.

"Clarke!" Lexa's exclamation tapers off as Clarke's fingers curl inside her, pushing her over the edge seconds before Clarke follows moaning Lexa's name.

Clarke's head is buried in Lexa's shoulder, free hand gripped onto the tub,breathing in deeply as they both ride out the aftershocks of their orgasms. Clarke's body is pressed to Lexa's and probably the only thing keeping them both upright. Lexa's pressing small kisses to Clarke's shoulder as they calm down from the intensity of their climax. The room is silent apart from their heavy breaths.

They pull apart minutes later with bright lazy smiles, sated and content. Clarke reluctantly pulls back, her fingers slipping out of Lexa in the same moment Lexa's fingers slip out of Clarke. Both moan at the feeling. Silently Clarke helps Lexa into the water which is now at the perfect temperature and slips in behind her. Lexa sinks back heavily against Clarke's body, enjoying the feeling of Clarke's breasts pressed into her back while her wife takes the bath cloth and runs it over her body gently.

They sit in silence just enjoying each others company. There's a lot left to discuss, but for now they're enjoying their time alone. Clarke pressing soft kisses along Lexa's neck, feeling her wife unwind under her hands as she washes her clean. Washing away the stress and journey of the day.

"How was the training?" Lexa asks head leaned back against Clarke's shoulder, eyes closed.

"It went well, Octavia is showing a lot of promise." Clarke answers against Lexa's shoulder. "She spent a good deal of time letting Tris teach her things."

"How many times did Tris put her to ground before that?" Lexa chuckles relaxed. She's been watching Octavia over the last few days, the girl has more heart than logic.

"I lost count after eight." Clarke laughs into Lexa's shoulder.

"She's obstinate, but willing to learn, with the right Fos she will do well." Lexa remarks, running her hands gently over Clarke's thighs.

Clarke's slow ministrations on Lexa's body continue with soft kisses and roaming hands, trying to get her wife as relaxed as possible, despite the next topic of conversation. "My mother says they'll be ready to test their cure by morning." She whispers into Lexa's neck just above her tattoo and watches Lexa shudder and fight to hold back a moan.

Lexa takes a breath to calm her building arousal. She needs to be as clear headed as she can be when in Clarke's presence. "Good timing as the ambassadors will be arriving by dawn."

"What for?" Clarke asks running her hands along Lexa's stiffened shoulders, working out the tension in them.

"To ensure that they are banished should they fail." Lexa answers, feeling Clarke's grip on her shoulders tighten slightly for a moment and she squeezes her thigh in understanding. Lexa had noticed Clarke and her mother standing together and smiling when she'd arrived back. There had been progress in their relationship and Lexa prays that she won't be the one to have to break her wife's heart if the Skaikru fails. Turning her body slightly she looks into Clarke's eyes. "They won't fail."

Clarke nods, repeating her words almost like a prayer itself. "They won't fail."


	18. Long into the Abyss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ark's time is running out. Things are also picking up pace in the Mountain and Clarke has had enough of Quint's shit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> big shout out to fairytaleslayer for helping to finally get over my writers block on this chapter. I hope you all enjoy it and look forward to your feedback. I will try to be quicker with the next update.

“Chancellor!” Abby hears the frantic voice outside her door call, pulling her from her sleep. “It's Byrne, we have a situation and we need you immediately.”

 

Abby is out of the bed and to the door before the words are even out of Byrne’s mouth. She's not sure what time it is, but the urgency in the usually reserved and cool headed Major’s tone is enough to let her know something is wrong. 

 

“What's happening Major?” Abby questions once the door is opened.

 

“The watchmen just spotted flags, ten of them ma’am just over the horizon.” Byrne reports. “The grounders are marching on us.”

 

“That's impossible, we have till sundown.” Abby says. The Commander had sworn they'd have until the end of the day to prove they could turn the Reapers back. Everything was already in place. Raven has been working practically nonstop over the last two days to make sure everything they need will work. Hannah and Pike managed to find the right balance of the drugs they'd need to make the cure. All their hard work can't be for nothing and Abby won't let it.

 

“Get Kane have him meet me at the gate with a contingent of guards.” Abby commands and Byrne simply nods and heads off in the direction of Kane’s room.

 

Quickly Abby changes out of her sleep clothes and then makes her way to the front gates and up to one of the watchtowers. “Chancellor,” Simmons, the guard on duty greets her with a courteous nod, which she returns.

 

“What are we looking at, Simmons?” She asks the man as he hands over the extra set of night vision binoculars. 

 

“It's hard to tell from this distance how many actual people there are ma’am, but there are ten flags of different colors and symbols flying.” He explains as Abby looks on spotting the flags making their way towards them at a steady pace. “We'll know more as soon as they clear the ridge, but if the Commander’s travelling party is anything to go by, we might not have enough weapons to take them all out.”

 

“We won't be needing the weapons Simmons.” Abby addresses him once she puts the binoculars down.

 

“But ma’am, we have to be prepared to defend ourselves.” The soldier challenges and Abby can hear the fear in the way his voice trembles as he speaks. He wasn't trained for this, none of them were prepared to fight any enemy combatants. Abby knows their guns are the only things the soldiers can rely on in a fight against the grounders. They'd be very much outmatched in hand to hand combat, based on what she's experienced with Clarke.

 

“I don't want to see any weapons drawn, do you understand me Simmons?” She needs to get to her daughter and figure out what's going on. Abby knows that they could put up an offensive and buy themselves time to escape, but she's not going to put her daughter or Raven in harm's way. “I'll handle this.” She tells him confidently before she descends the watchtower and joins Kane at the gates.

 

Byrne and Miller are waiting with a small group of guards to protect them, but keep their weapons at their sides. She's happy the two veterans know she doesn't want to cause any unnecessary friction during such a delicate time and she thanks them both as they stand one on each side of her.

* * *

 

 

The grounder guards at the main entrance, let them pass without a fuss and Abby grows suspicious, but keeps moving towards the tent in the center of the camp. The guards outside the tent finally stop the forward momentum of the group, swords drawn.

 

“I need to speak with the Commander.” Abby announces, hoping the occupants within the tent will hear her and grant access. She doesn't have to wait long before Gustus, in full armor and black war paint, steps outside and says something to the two men. The guards put away their weapons with a curt bow of their heads.

 

“Chancellor, you and Kane may come in, but your guards stay outside.” Gustus tells the group.

 

Byrne is about to protest when Kane steps in. “Thank you Gustus, we’ll be there in a minute.” The General acknowledges him before returning back inside.

 

“This could be a trap!” Flies out of Byrne’s mouth and Miller readily agrees.

 

“If they wanted to kill us, they'd have done so already.” Abby rebuts. “Just stay close in case we need you.” once the two guards acquiesce, Kane and Abby enter the tent. 

 

“What the hell is going on!” Abby bellows soon as she breaches the interior of the commander's tent.

 

“You'd do well to watch your tone, Chancellor.” Clarke warns. Abby stops in her tracks at the sight of her daughter. She  can barely recognize the daughter she's raised or the girl she'd been getting to know over the last day. Before her stands a fearsome warrior - blue winged war paint around her eyes - hair intricately braided with red and blue strips of cloth interlaced. She's dressed in full military regalia with her weapons of choice visible. Abby can only guess as to how many hidden weapons her daughter is also carrying.

 

Abby’s eyes then drift towards Lexa, who is similarly dressed in her full armor - pauldron with the flowing red sash of the Commander to indicate her rank, strapped to her shoulder - her hair in a complexly braided pattern and her black war paint making her fierce green eyes pop. The two stand as equals at the head of the large war table, the embodiment of intimidation. One thing becomes alarmly clear as Abby continues to scan the room and see that everyone within is dressed and armed for a fight, they knew this was coming and didn’t warn them. They’ve been lied to, this has to have been some sort of elaborate set up to buy the army enough time to gather.

 

“Commander, we mean you no disrespect.” Kane speaks up, giving Abby time to collect herself. “We just want to know why there's an army approaching, before we've even had the time to test the cure? It feels like we’ve been setup.” Kane articulates the words Abby is struggling to find.

 

“The Coalition is made up of Twelve Clans and each of them have an Ambassador.” Lexa answers cooly.“There are those amongst them who are wary of you and your capabilities. Your burden to prove yourselves isn't just to me, but to them as well.”

 

“How much time do we have until they arrive?” Abby asks setting aside her anger for the moment, she needs to be focused right now. She can be angry later.

 

“They should arrive within the hour.” Lexa replies. “Continue with your plans, we will meet with the clans and then come by once the meeting is concluded to see if this cure will work.”

 

Abby isn't happy with that response, but there isn't much else she can do except go back to the Ark and get everything prepared. Her people come first and she needs to ensure their safety if they have any hopes of settling down on Earth in peace.

 

Kane puts his hand on Abby's shoulder and she turns to him. “I'll hang back here with two guards and keep an eye on things.” He whispers so only she can hear. She deliberates for a moment, before finally acquiescing with a sharp nod and making her way back outside.

 

“What's going on?” Miller asks when he spots Abby coming out of the tent without Kane.

 

“We aren't under attack,” she replies calmly. “The Ambassadors for the other clans will be here soon. I need to get back to the Ark and get everything ready to go.”

 

“What about Kane?” Byrne questions.

 

“The three of you are going to stay here to represent us and keep an eye on things.” Abby answers pointing to Byrne and Miller.

 

“What about you?” Byrne prods, “you’re the Chancellor, shouldn’t you be here with us?”

 

“Me staying behind to represent our people isn't where I'm needed.” Abby answers. “Now we're wasting time with all this talking, let's go.” The remaining guards reform their ranks around Abby and head back to the Ark.

* * *

 

 

“What are your orders Heda?” Gustus asks once everything has settled down.

 

“Gustus, Anya, you will remain here with Clarke and I.” Lexa instructs. “Indra, you will go to the Ark and gather the Skai gona.”

 

“Heda, what am I to do with the Skai gona? I will be of more use to you here.” Indra protests not wanting to have to protect those directly responsible for the deaths of so many of her people.

 

“Indra, you and the Skai gona will be there to ensure the Ambassadors are not attacked or fired upon. We have already lost enough of our people.” Lexa tells her understanding Indra’s reluctance to go over to the Ark, but she needs her most level headed General there to keep things under control.

 

“Hold up! We don’t need babysitters, especially not by a ragtag bunch of delinquents. Our men are well trained and won’t attack unless threatened.” Major Byrne cuts in offended by the implication.

 

“The sight of a few flags had you running over here, that does not instill confidence in your abilities to remain calm.” Anya speaks up.

 

Byrne is about to challenge her when Kane steps in, placing a calming hand on Byrne’s shoulder. “Indra, we will be more than happy to have you at the Ark and our guards will cooperate with you fully, we all want the same thing here.”

 

“It is settled then, Indra will return to the Ark with one of your guards and will stay there for as long as needed.” Lexa states. “Kane you will remain here and act as the Ambassador for the Ark.”

 

Once everyone has agreed to the terms Lexa adjourns the meeting so everyone can get on with their duties for the day ahead.

* * *

 

  
Indra wasn’t expecting to be as impressed as she is with the group of Skai gona, but it is obvious they have all taken their training with Anya, Lincoln  and Clarke seriously. She is most impressed with Octavia, the girl has a fire and alertness about her that will serve her well as a warrior. All five of the girls have their weapons ready and have on the colors they have chosen to represent the Skaikru, it is the same shade of blue as Clarke’s war paint.

 

“Harper and Monroe, you two were trained with fayagon, correct? Indra asks the two girls.

 

“Yes, we were both gunners aboard the Ark.” Monroe answers for them.

 

“Good then your hands and nerves are steady, you will be in the watchtowers with the guards, keep an eye on them. If one of the guard so much as flinch towards their weapons disable them.” Indra orders and the two nod before making their way to the tower.

 

“Fox and Roma, you two will be on the perimeter. I want you to keep your eyes sharp for anyone who may try to attack the Ambassadors. Engage with caution, do not let them harm you.” She tells the two younger girls. She'd seen two of the Skaikru boys, who she remembers from TonDC, walking around with two big weapons.

 

“Yes ma’am.” they both salute before walking off to their assigned duties. Indra raises a brow at their retreating forms before turning to Octavia.

 

“Oktevia, you will be with me.” she tells the youngest member of the group and watches on amused as the girl has to contain her apparent excitement at this development. “We will be with the Chancellor and the rest of the council to make sure everything proceeds as it should.”

 

“Okay, thank you Indra.” Octavia says trying to maintain a neutral face.

 

“Lead the way to them, Oktevia.” Indra tells her after a moment of inaction. Octavia snaps back into action heading to the medbay. Indra takes a deep breath before heading inside the massive steel construct in front of her.

* * *

 

 

The horns are blown three times alerting everyone in the camp that the convoy of Ambassadors will be arriving shortly. Lexa, Clarke, Kane and Caris, flanked by their guards all make their way to the entrance to welcome the new arrivals.

 

Azgeda lead by Quint are the first ones through and even though this is supposed to be a peaceful event the Azgeda troops are larger in number than necessary. Luna, the other Ambassadors and their guards - a more reasonable size entourage- follow in behind him. All the Ambassadors dismount their horses and take their turn greeting Lexa with the traditional handshake of their people. 

 

Formality out of the way Lexa leads them all to the communal tent which also serves as the meeting area. The morning meal is had before getting the business of the day underway. 

 

“It seems that Quint thinks your people will fail Skai Prisa.” Luna jokes to Clarke in reference to the burly Azgeda Ambassador and his small army.

 

Clarke chuckles and feels the tension melt away slightly with the humor. “I am sure he will be sorely disappointed then.” she boasts more confident than she actually feels. Abby had told Clarke that they would start a benzodiazepine IV on both Reapers the night before to keep them balanced before injecting them with the synthesized physostigmine later on and then hope for the best. “How have things been in TonDC?”

 

“Contentious.” Luna answers with a look in Quint’s direction and it’s all Clarke needs to know. Quint has never trusted Clarke and has been raving to anyone who would listen that she is part of a bigger plot by the Sky People and the Mountain Men to infiltrate their ranks and destroy them. The dropship landing gave him more fuel to his theories and she’s sure that he hasn’t stopped his fearmongering since the Ark crash landed three days ago. “Shallow Valley and Broad leaf are amongst those who share his opinion.”

 

“This morning’s meeting will be fun then.” Clarke sighs exasperatedly. Lynda and Staguv are both shrewd but reasonable. The two are more invested in the best interest of their people and if Skaikru can prove that they'd be good allies to keep around she knows they'll win over the two headstrong Ambassadors.

 

“He’ll have nothing left to say when the Reapers are cured.” Lexa, who’d been listening to their conversation, speaks up. “It will leave no doubt in the mind of those who may be siding with him that an alliance with all Skaikru is the only way we will be able to defeat the mountain.”

 

“Does that mean we have found a way to infiltrate the impregnable fortress?” Luna inquires.

 

“One problem at a time my friend.” Anya replies. “Let us add one more to the Coalition and together we will find a way in. Every chain has a weak link, even the Manoun.”

* * *

 

 

Soon as the meals have been finished the dining hall is converted into a meeting room and the war table is moved into the tent. Clarke and Lexa are sat at opposite ends of the table, Gustus beside Lexa and Anya beside Clarke with the remaining clan representatives and their guards taking up seats around the large table.

 

Lexa takes the opportunity once everyone is settled in to introduce Kane and his function as the liaison between his people and theirs. Kane for his part thanks Lexa and the other members of the Coalition for granting them the opportunity to prove themselves as worthy allies in the fight against the mountain.

 

“The only reason you are being heard, is because you claim you can return the  _ Ripa’s _ to themselves.” Staguv, the Ambassador of the Broad Leaf Clan interrupts and there are noises of consent throughout the room. “A feat not even our best  _ Fisa’s _ have been able to accomplish, what makes you think you can?”

 

“That is a fair question,” Kane answers unfettered by the topic. “We believe we know what the  _ Manoun _ have done to your people and we have developed a cure for it.”

 

“You cannot call it a cure unless it works.” Staguv challenges. “And even if it does work, what good is it to the  _ Ripa’s _ in the mountain?”

 

“One thing at a time Staguv.” Clarke addresses the elderly man. “If this works and can cure the  _ Ripa _ , then once the mountain falls we will be able to save all of them.”

 

“We are wasting time with these discussions,” Quint calls out aggravated. “Open your eyes, can’t you see this is all a ploy! she and her people are working with the Manoun,” he points his finger to Clarke and Kane. “There is no cure for the perversion they have created of our gona, how many more of our people must die, how many more villages burned to the ground before you all awaken and see the threat right in front of you.” he bellows towards the crowd. “There is no difference between them and the Manoun, they are trying to lead us like sheep to a slaughter!”

 

“Em Pleni!” Clarke stands up eyes fierce and trained on Quint. “Skaikru have people trapped in the mountain as well. The Coalition is built on the foundation of our combined strengths and skills from all clans. The Skaikru, have chosen to side with us and be loyal to the Coalition together we will find a way to bring the mountain to its knees.You can either stand with us or turn tail and run back to Azgeda.”

 

The room falls silent at Clarke's challenge. It is a warning to all those who oppose the Coalition, but don't want to speak out.

 

“You are wise to watch your tongue girl.” Quint threatens weakly.

 

“Her position as leader of Skaikru supersedes your role as Ambassador to Azgeda. You are the one in need of watching your tone.” Lexa speaks up having had enough of the insufferable man. “or do you care to challenge me as well?”

 

Quint grits his teeth in annoyance. “Moba Heda, Moba Skai Prisa.” He bows his head in submission.

 

“Now that the matter is settled, I think it is time we see what your people can do.” Luna cuts in and the others agree with her.

 

“Kane, lead the way.” Clarke instructs and he stands, nods to Clarke and makes his way out of the meeting tent followed by everyone else.

* * *

 

 

Wells and Monty have been going over what needs to be done should Wells find a junction box in order to allow them to communicate with the Ark again. They're all grateful Maya hadn't been able to take Wells on the tour on the agreed upon day thanks to a busier than expected schedule. It had bought them an extra two days to plan and figure out the smaller details. Once Wells finds the junction box they'll be able to bypass the communications center and send out their own signals, a task that would be made easier if they actually had a radio.

 

Miller has suggested just swiping Maya’s while she's distracted. Unfortunately, Wells is a terrible pickpocket, so they need a backup plan. Monty thinks as long as they find a junction box it'd be easy to sneak off during dinner, swipe a radio and then hook it up. It's not the best plan but it's the only feasible one so far. Wells commits to memory what he has to do and hopes that the butter knife Miller had taken during dinner a few nights ago will actually be of use to him as it's his only tool. 

 

In the back of his mind he's worried about Murphy, who nobody has seen all night and they'd covered his absence with a lie about him not feeling well when asked at dinner about his whereabouts. Cage had looked about ready to send them all to quarantine until Wells explained that Murphy suffers from migraines and just needed to be alone in a dark quiet place. 

 

There's two sharp knocks on the door to their quarters and everyone stiffens up, the hum in the room drops to a dead silence as everyone first looks at each other and then to Wells. He stands nodding to them, Miller and Monty flank him as he makes his way to the door while the others surround the smaller kids. Carefully Wells opens the door to see a very triumphant looking Murphy standing there with his hands full.

 

“Don't just stand there gaping at me, help me get this stuff inside.” He says shoving the box forward into Miller’s arms and rushing in the door.

 

“Where the hell have you been?” Wells scolds, pushing the door closed behind Murphy.

 

“Aww did you miss me?” Murphy teases. “I figured while you guys where filling your faces I'd make a supply run.” He nods over to the box Miller is holding away from the view of the camera in the room. After seeing the control room and his suspicions about the Mountain Men, Wells made sure that whenever they were talking or planning anything they'd do it out of sight of the camera or make sure the view was obstructed by moving the beds around.

 

Monty goes through the box excitedly, pulling out two portable radios, a few different types of screwdrivers, one pair of pliers and some electrical tape. “How'd you even manage to get all this stuff?”

 

“I have my ways.” Murphy answers smugly, throwing himself onto his bunk. “Now we better get some sleep, got a big day of exploring tomorrow.”

 

“What do you mean we?” Wells questions.

 

Murphy props himself up on his elbows looking at the younger boy. “Little Jaha, I'm sure you have your talents, but if you're going to get that radio hooked up, you'll need to distract Jasper’s girlfriend. So I'm going on the tour with you and I'll make sure to draw her attention away from you when needed.”

 

“Hey, I was going to go with Wells.” Jasper protests.

 

“You realize little Jaha is going on a mission right? Not your awkward first date with him as a chaperone. He needs someone to watch his back, not Maya's ass.” Murphy shoots back.

 

“Whatever,” Jasper huffs. “I still think you're all being way too paranoid. Everyone here has been nothing but nice to us, there's food for everyone, new clothes, beds and warm showers.”

 

“Hansel and Gretel, ring a bell?” Murphy turns to him.

 

“Never pegged you for a believer in fairytales.” Jasper quips back with a smirk.

 

“Never pegged you for much more than a watered down version of Monty. I'm still right in that estimation though.” Murphy glares at Jasper.

 

“Hey, stop it.” Wells says to both of them. “This may be our only chance to get this done and I don't need the bickering. Murphy is coming with me, he'll have my back, Jasper you help Monty on this end.”

 

“Glad we got that settled.” Murphy smirks plopping himself back onto his pillows.

 

Jasper just rolls his eyes and gets into his own bed. The lights go out a few seconds later and the room quiets down once more.

* * *

 

 

It's just after breakfast and Wells and Murphy are making their way to Maya’s quarters. Jasper had proved his usefulness earlier when he handed over a blazer to Wells with various hidden pockets. Wells had asked him how he'd even managed to do that and Jasper simply gave him a knowing smile and wished him luck.

 

Using all the hidden compartments Wells has all the tools they'll need to get the radio setup, he just hopes wherever Maya is taking them won't require a keycard for access in case they need to go back there for any reason.

 

“Are you sure you can do this?” Murphy breaks Wells out of his thoughts.

 

“I have to, we need to get out of here.” Wells answers

 

“Do you have a backup plan if radioing for help doesn't work?” Although he'd volunteered to act as a diversion to get this plan underway, Murphy doesn't feel too confident in it actually working. Wells isn't Monty, if he splices the wrong wires all that planning goes out the window and they're stuck here until another opportunity presents itself, if it ever does.

 

“I wouldn't be my father’s son if I didn't have more than one strategy for getting out of a situation.” Wells assures him.

 

“Well do you mind filling me in then Captain?” 

 

“I have a photographic memory, I've been creating a mental map of this place since they let me out of quarantine.” Wells says and continues on once Murphy gestures for him to do so. “I figure this tour gives us another chance to find alternate means of escape if plan A fails.”

 

“So our plans are either radio the Ark and hope they break us out or use your mental map to somehow sneak us all out of here unnoticed.” Murphy sighs out shoulders dropping.

 

“Clarke's going to find a way to get us out and if the radio works we'll be able to assist them into getting around in here.” Wells replies noticing the defeat in Murphy’s frame.

 

“Wait? You're back on the trust Clarke train?” Murphy stops them and looks at Wells incredulously.

 

Wells sighs knowing Murphy has every right to question his seeming shift of opinion about his best friend. “I've known Clarke my whole life, nobody was happier to see her than I was, but that being said from the start I knew it was all too coincidental that she happened to show up when and how she did. If I recall correctly you weren't that happy to see her either.”

 

Murphy has to hold back a laugh at Wells’ attempt to turn the tables on him. “Good try little Jaha, except I don't trust anyone associated with the council.”

 

“Fair enough,” Wells concedes. “I was just mission focused, get to the mountain, radio in and save the Ark and most importantly my dad. He's the only family I have left and Clarke was impeding me from keeping him safe. If I had it to do over again and hadn't have been hit with a spear I would probably have been more on board with Clarke.”

 

“When we get out of here, you can go about making things right then.” Murphy stops in front of Maya's door and knocks three times, leaving Wells to his thoughts until Maya opens the door and welcomes them in while she finishes up her chores.

* * *

 

 

Two hours later, Wells swears they've covered every inch of the mountain and all he's learned is that the place is bigger than he anticipated. Every room they've been into he's walked every bit of the space looking for hiding places, an escape to the outside and the junction boxes. He's been unsuccessful on the first two and although he'd seen a few junction boxes they've all been out of his reach. He's quickly losing hope that they'll be successful, especially since every door so far has needed a keycard to access it.

 

The three of them are currently making their way to what Maya has described as the art room. Wells is on alert scanning the hallway, eyes taking in every square inch. At first glance nothing seems off about their current location, it looks just like every other hallway, but Wells can tell something is different. The dimensions aren't quite right in comparison to the other areas. He files that information away for later when they're back in their quarters and he can draw it out.

 

The sound of jingling pulls his attention from the odd space and he looks towards Murphy then to Maya. “What are those?” Wells asks as she stands in front of the door.

 

Maya turns around bright smile on her face. “You may not have had them in space, but these are also keys.” She holds up the bunch in her hands and jingles them in his face. “It's a relic of a past era that president Wallace wanted preserved.”

 

“Oh, why do you have so many keys for one door?” Wells questions brows raised.

 

“Most of the doors on this level and a few others require these types of keys.” Maya shrugs turning back to open the door and reveal the most opulent room they've seen so far on the tour. Standing back she lets the two boys walk in and enjoys the look of astonishment on their faces. “Welcome to the art room.”

* * *

 

 

The audible gasps from some of the Ambassadors breaks the tense silence in the viewing room. It's clear to Abby that not all of them have seen Reapers this up close before to really understand just what the Mountain Men have done to their people.

 

“Is he one of yours?” Abby gently questions Lynda, the leader of the the Shallow Valley clan, as she presses her hand to the glass, horror written on her face.

 

“His name is Daveed, his daughter Milenne, became my  _ seken _ after he'd been lost to the Mountain. She's a brave and strong  _ gona. _ Can you save him?” Lynda turns to Abby after a moment. The eyes of everyone in the room are on the two women.

 

“We believe we can, yes.” Abby answers solemnly.

 

Lynda turns to Clarke looking her in the eyes. “If this works  _ Skaikru _ will have the full support of  _ Louwoda Kliron, Skai Prisa. _ ”

 

“ _ Mochof Lynda  _ ” Clarke clasp hands with her.

 

Abby understands enough to realize the importance of this pledge of support as she looks around at all the other Ambassadors.

 

“You've all waited long enough, let's get this started.” Abby says to everyone's assent.

 

“How long until the cure takes effect?” Nyko asks before Abby leaves.

 

“We've had them on the drip for about twelve hours now, so it should be almost immediate.” Abby answers more confidently than she feels, with that she makes her way into the room where the Reapers are strapped to the bed. It had taken six people in full riot gear and multiple zaps from Raven’s modified shock sticks to get them transferred into the medical ward. They are both in the very early stages of withdrawal and it is causing them to get more frenzied. Abby doesn't want to draw this out any longer for fear of causing them anymore damage or having them die before they know if the cure will work.

 

Jackson is already waiting for her in the sterile room, Abby can tell he's nervous by the tiny tremor in his hands. She pats him on the shoulder and gives him a confident nod. “Everything is going to be okay.” She whispers to him as he hands her over the shot. 

 

The doctors get into position, Jackson keeping his eyes on Daveed’s monitor. Abby takes a deep breath before injecting the serum into the tapped vein. The effects like she'd anticipated are immediate, Daveed has stopped flailing and his heart rate and breathing have all leveled out. Abby breathes a sigh of relief, but before she can celebrate the monitors start squealing.

 

“He's coding, we're losing him.” Jackson calls out frantically.

 

Abby's stomach drops as the heart monitor flat lines. “Start chest compressions.” She orders Jackson and he goes to work trying to resuscitate the warrior.

 

“We need to jump start his heart Abby.”

 

Abby runs over to the door where Byrne is standing. “Give me the shock stick.” She can hear the murmurs coming from the Ambassadors and she looks over to see their concerned faces. Lynda looks about to pass out from holding her breath. Abby runs back into the room. 

 

The shock stick is charged to the maximum. “Clear.” Abby yells and jams the the device into Daveed’s heart as soon as Jackson’s hands are off the patient. Daveed’s body jerks off the bed and Abby waits a minute ready to go again if needed. There's a loud intake of air and the heart monitor beeps back to life with the sound of a strong steady heartbeat.

 

“Oh my God, he's back. It worked.” Jackson calls out relieved and astonished.

 

Abby takes a moment to compose herself before turning to the viewing gallery and giving Clarke a thumbs up. She can see the relief wash over her daughter’s face. They've done their part and proved their worth. “Finish up here with the other one, while I go talk to them.” She tells Jackson before leaving the room.

 

Lynda is the first one to step up to her. “Nyko says you were successful?” 

 

“Yes he's right,” Abby confirms. “We’ll  monitor the both of them overnight to make sure they get through the worse of it, but they should be fine.”

 

“ _ Mochof.”  _ She thanks her once more before turning to Lexa. “ _ Heda,  _ I cannot speak for the rest of the Kongedakru _ ,  _ but the  _ Louweda Kliron  _ will support an alliance with  _ Skaikru.”  _ One by one the other Ambassadors make the same declaration as the leader of the Shallow Valley people. Seeing that he's been outvoted Quint begrudgingly falls in line with the others.

 

“Skai Prisa, Chancellor Abby, the ceremony to welcome Skaikru to the Coalition will be celebrated tomorrow night.” Lexa announces. “Clarke will be leader of the Skaikru until the mountain has fallen and then one of your own people will take over.”

 

Abby is about to protest Clarke's leadership, when Raven bursts into the medbay, radio in hand, startling the grounder leaders who all draw their weapons. Raven stops short at all the swords pointed in her direction with her hands up. “Woah, you're a trigger happy bunch.”

 

“Raven what's going on?” Clarke asks pulling the girl's attention to her.

 

Raven holds out the radio to her. “It's Wells.”


	19. The living are hungry

“This is Wells Jaha, come in Earth station.” They've been trying to contact the Ark ever since they got back from breakfast without much luck. Wells had wanted to try immediately after they'd gotten back from the tour, but there hadn't been enough time. Minutes after they'd gotten back to their quarters Cage had shown up and pulled Wells aside to ask him how they've been acclimating to their new environment. The conversation had gone on for a while with Cage telling him that Dr. Tsing, head of the medical ward, wanted to run some tests on him and the others before clearing them for more physical activity. Wells had played his part and agreed, even mentioning how they scheduled exercise time back on the Ark so as to ensure there wouldn't be muscle atrophy and bone density loss from living up in space.

  
After their conversation, Wells had just enough time to clean up and get ready for that evening's dinner. A couple of the guards had sat with each group and although they were friendly enough and around their ages it still gave Wells a bad feeling. He'd been ready to escape back to their quarters at the end of the dinner service, but before they could leave President Wallace had announced a movie before curfew as a treat in honor of their special guests. All eyes were on them and Wells knew they'd have to all sit through the movie.

  
By the time they finally managed to get back into their room it was too late at night to make an attempt.

  
“I think you should call it a day for now,Wells, even if it's working nobody seems to be on the other end.” Monty sighs frustrated. He’s afraid that they screwed up somewhere and that's why they aren't getting through. This needs to work though and they need to get out before it's too late. “We can try again later.”

  
“We can't just give up someone has to hear it, eventually.” Wells argues. He's about to call out again when the radio crackles and there's a voice on the other end.

  
 _“This is Earth station to Jaha, come in Jaha.”_ He's almost certain that's Raven on the other end and he's never been so happy to hear her voice in his entire life.

  
“Raven is that you?” He asks to be sure.

  
_“Of course it is, who else could fix these radios.” Raven’s smug confirmation has Wells and the others in the room brimming with hope. “Are you guys alright?”_

  
“We are for now, but I need to speak to Clarke. Is she there?” Wells asks for his best friend. He's sure together they can find a way to get them out of this place.

  
_“Yes she is. Just stay close to your radio I'll go grab her.” Raven calls over before the line goes silent once more._

  
Five agonizing minutes tick by as they wait for Raven or Clarke to radio back to them. Wells is pacing a hole in the floor, outside the view of the cameras in the room, waiting for a response. He's not sure what he can even say to Clarke at this point to make things right between them again and make her trust him, but he has to try for the sake of everyone he trapped in this mountain with him.

  
_“Wells, are you okay? Is everyone else okay?” Clarke's voice bursts through the radio he'd left on the bed and Wells scrambles towards it._

  
“Clarke!” He calls out excitedly. “Yes we are fine, for now at least.”

  
_“What does that mean?” Clarke asks him. “How'd you even manage to do this?”_

  
“The how can be discussed another time.” Wells sighs. “Clarke I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you when you warned us. If it wasn't for me we wouldn't be in this situation right now.”

  
_“What situation? Have they hurt you? Wells I need you to pull yourself together and tell me what's going on.” Clarke instructs him and Wells takes a steadying breath._

  
“They want to run tests on us.” He tells her about the conversation he'd had with Cage the other day.

_  
“What kind of test?” Clarke prods concern clear in her voice._

  
“Cage says it's just a physical exam to make sure we are acclimating properly. Clarke there's something not right about that guy.”

* * *

 

  
“So everyone in there is okay? They aren't being experimented on?” Monroe asks to make sure she has the information correct. Immediately after her conversation with Wells, Clarke called a meeting with the remaining delinquents to explain the situation to them.

  
“Yeah Wells said they're okay for now, but the doctors in there want to run some tests before clearing them for physical activity.” Clarke confirms trying to keep the information as clear and concise as possible.

  
“They haven't been able to figure a way out?” Harper wonders from her seat in Raven’s workshop.

  
“No, Wells has covered as much of the facility as he's been allowed to and he's making a map to see if they can find a way out.” Clarke answers.

  
“Can't they just go through the tunnels you guys used to get the Reapers?” Bellamy steps in.

  
“They'd need to find an access to the tunnels first.” Finn answers.

  
“Finn’s right.” Clarke admits. “It was easier for us to get in the tunnels because Lincoln has them mapped out and spent enough time down there.”

  
“And I doubt the Mountain Men would give them free reign to find an escape route.” Raven adds slightly frustrated. “Some lot of criminals they are.”

  
“What did you just say?” Bellamy bolts out of his seat eyes on Raven.

  
Raven raises a brow at him and shrugs. “Some lot of criminals they are.”

  
“That's it!” He smacks his hand on the table and gets everyone's attention.

  
“Bro it may be time for some fresh air.” Octavia looks at him worried he's been spending too much time indoors or with Finn. She's actually surprised he'd agreed to the meeting without a fuss. She's hoping he's had a change of heart about running away with Finn and aligning with the Coalition.

  
“No, O, listen.” Bellamy enthuses. “If they can't break out they may be able to help us break in.” Everyone in the room perks up at the idea, encouraging Bellamy to go on. “Clarke, if Wells describes the place to you I'm sure you'd be able to draw up a relative blueprint of the inside of the mountain. We can use the tunnels to find a way inside, have a couple of gunners down below to cover us, find our people and get out.”

  
“I hate to burst your bubble.” Raven interrupts. “As much as I agree with using the others as our inside source, we can't just run in there. They'd either hit us with the acid fog before we even made it within range or let us get in and have us be mauled by the Reapers and those are just the defenses we know about. You have to remember they are a military base that was built to survive the end of the world they could have an unimaginable supply of weapons and defenses that we don't know about yet.”

  
“Raven’s right we can't just go in there without knowing what we’ll be up against.” Clarke agrees.

  
“We've got an entire armory here and if we sneak in the same way you guys did to get the Reapers we wouldn't be detected and thus no acid fog.” Bellamy argues. “The Reapers would just be collateral damage.”

  
“And break our treaty with the Coalition in the process.” Raven counters. “Do you really think the bunch of us could get in there and sneak out seventy five people and get back out undetected?”

  
“I don't hear you or the grounders coming up with a better plan.” Bellamy grits out annoyed at Raven.

  
“Bellamy take a breath.” Clarke says placing a hand on his shoulder. “Raven is only trying to help and she's right we don't know all their defenses. We were lucky to get in undetected the last time, they've probably upped their security since then. We have to be smart about this and using the kids inside as our eyes and ears is a great plan to build on.”

  
Bellamy takes a deep breath. “You're right, Raven I'm sorry. We'll figure this out together.”

  
“Don't worry about it Bell, we’re all frustrated.” Raven waves off his apology.

  
“How about we call it a day for now and reconvene later to see what we come up with.” Clarke suggests and everyone agrees taking their leave of Raven’s workshop.

* * *

 

  
Clarke's on her way back to their camp to discuss everything with Lexa when she's stopped by her mother.

  
“Clarke can we talk in my office for a minute?” She asks her.

  
“Yeah sure.” Clarke answers following her mother back inside the Ark.

  
Once inside the office Abby takes her seat at the desk and Clarke sits across from her. She's immediately hit with the familiar feel of the moment, flashes of her younger self running to her mother’s office after school and just watching her work. Clarke had always loved the fact that her dad was responsible for keeping everything on the Ark running, but her mother saved lives for a living. Clarke would always tell Wells her mom was a real superhero.

  
“Why weren't the council allowed into your call with Wells or the meeting afterwards?” Abby's voice breaks Clarke out of her memories.

  
“Wells specifically asked for me.” Clarke answers looking her mother in the eyes straightening her posture at the tone of the question. “And as for why you weren't invited, you have your council and I have mine. We aren't on the Ark and I'm not going to exclude them from important decisions.”

  
“Decisions all of you are too young to be making.” Abby cuts in agitated.

  
“Old enough to be sent to Earth on a suicide mission, but too young to be in charge. Quite the shift in opinion.” Clarke challenged keeping her voice level even though she's seething.

  
Abby sits back taking a deep breath. “How long are you going to hold that over my head? The council did what we thought was best for the greater good.”

  
“Like the council thought it was a good idea to hide the truth about the Ark dying and punish anyone who remotely threatened to reveal the truth.” Clarke stops short of mentioning her father, but she can see that Abby understands exactly what she's talking about.

  
“Clarke...I..” Abby reaches forward extending her hand to Clarke. She thought they'd moved past this and were finally on a path to rebuilding their relationship.

  
Clarke pulls her hands out of reaching all hint of emotion gone from her face as quickly as it had appeared. “The dead are gone and the living are hungry. Lexa put me in charge of the Skaikru until after the mountain has fallen and I intend to finally end their reign of terror over my people. You and the council can continue your petty games for power or you can fall in line and help us.” Clarke stands towering over her still seated mother, turning her back to her and leaving the office.

  
“I'm so sorry.” Abby's whispers out as the door closes behind Clarke.

* * *

 

  
“Oktevia, you will ride with me and we will take the Northern perimeter.” Indra instructs as she finishes preparing her horse. She's been tasked with leading the hunting party to get what they'll need for tomorrow's celebration. She'd waited until the meeting with Clarke was over to start the hunt. Indra feels it's going to be a good time to test out the young warrior and see just how much she's learned.

  
“Sha Indra,” Octavia answers her following her example to get her own horse ready. It's the first time she's going to be on a horse but Lincoln has assured her it will be okay and his participation in the hunt also boosts her confidence, even if they'll be in different groups.

  
“Octavia,” Bellamy calls out to her just as she's about to mount her horse. “What are you doing?”

  
Octavia steps back down as her brother approaches. “We're going hunting for tomorrow's party.”

  
“They can go but you're staying put, you're not trained for that.” Bellamy insists grabbing her by the hand.

  
Octavia breaks free of his grasp easily. “You don't need to keep protecting me from things Bell.” she lays her hand on his shoulder and gives it a comforting squeeze. “I want to do this, Clarke already taught us the basics or did you forget who kept us fed at the dropship?”

  
Bellamy’s jaw clenches at the reminder. He's not willing to just let his little sister wander off into the wilderness unprotected. “I'm coming with you then.”

  
“The groups have already been formed and unlike your sister you do not have the skills to be out on the hunt.” Indra cuts in from her position atop her horse.

  
“I don't need experience when I have this!” Bellamy counters holding up his gun.

  
“Whoa, Bell chill.” Octavia scolds him pushing the gun back to his side. “This isn't how they hunt, the guns will scare off the animals.”

  
“Okay fine,” Bellamy concedes. “But take this for my peace of mind.” he pulls out a small handgun and pushes it into Octavia’s hands. “It's already loaded, just in case.”

  
Octavia pushes the gun back towards her brother. “No Bellamy stop! I won't need it.” Bellamy tries to protest, but Octavia holds her hand up indicating she isn't finished. “Bell I love you, but you're being a real asshole. The grounders have been nothing but good to us. Clarke saved my life, Lincoln saved Wells and they taught us how to hunt and fish, to take care of ourselves and they are accepting us into the coalition.”

  
“For their own benefit.” Bellamy cuts in anyway. “Octavia I just want you to be safe.”

  
“And I will be, between what I've learned so far and what Indra will be teaching me, but I'm not sure I can say the same for you.” Octavia challenges.

  
Bellamy crosses his arms defensively. “What are you trying to say?”

  
“You've been spending a lot of time with Finn and his only gripe with the grounders is that Clarke is with Lexa and not him,” Octavia starts her explanation hoping to get through to her brother. “maybe you need to realize his jealousy could get you both, if not all of us killed. instead of spending so much time with him maybe try spending time with some of the grounders?”

  
Bellamy tries to interrupt again but Octavia holds up her hand indicating she isn't finished with her thought yet. “I know you think you don't need to learn anything from them because your gun will solve all your problems, but like it or not we will be going to war and I need you to have my back with a weapon that won't run out of ammunition.”

  
Her words seem to hit home with Bellamy as she watches him deflate. She wraps her arms around him and squeezes him tightly for a moment before leaving to join the hunting party.

 

 

 


	20. Shadows of Futures Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raven is a genius..... or well she has a theory!

“How do they do it.” Raven mutters to herself deep in thought.

“How does who do what?” Anya asks gently from her spot on Raven’s bed. She recognizes the look on Raven’s face and knows she's lost to her thoughts and probably forgotten her presence.

She's proven right when Raven startles and turns to face her with a sheepish grin. “Crap, I forgot you were in here.”

Anya chuckles at the expected reaction and just manages to avoid being hit by a rag that Raven throws at her. “If you'd let me train you, your accuracy would improve.”

“Why do I need to be trained when I can blow things up? Besides I have you to keep me safe.” Raven says smugly. The two had been going back and forth about Anya teaching Raven at least some basic defensive skills over the last few weeks. Raven of course would always deflect and hide behind her work.

“I may not always be available and it would ease my mind.” Anya answers truthfully. She's been spending more time with Raven and she's grown quite fond of the girl. The battle against the Mountain Men is fast approaching and although Anya knows she will do her best to protect Raven, whatever her role may be in the upcoming fight, plans change during war.

Raven stands and stretches her back feeling it pop and unlock after sitting for so long. She holds her position just a bit longer smirking at having caught the reserved General staring at the strip of revealed skin as her shirt rides up. Raven's happy to know that her attraction isn't one sided. She makes her way over to the bed and sits next to Anya.

“How bout after I figure out this problem, we go outside and you can teach me a few things, yeah?” Raven compromises having heard the slight worry in Anya's tone.

The warrior nods her head in agreement. “So what is the problem you are trying to work out?”

“It's just there's so much we don't know about the mountain, what kind of weaponry they have? Is the acid fog the only natural defense mechanism they have in place? How do they keep all those people alive if they never leave the mountain for food or water?” Raven rambles out the questions spinning around in her mind.

“How did your Ark keep so many alive in the sky?” Anya poses hoping that getting Raven on a different path will lead her to the solution she is after. A technique she often used with her _sekens_ to get them thinking creatively.

“A rigid system of controls on food, medicine and children.” Raven answers distractedly.

“Your people were in space before the destruction, how did they manage to maintain food?”

“All of the stations had things they specialized in, like farm station which was full of plant scientists who, found ways of growing food in such an environment. The mecha station, which was in charge of fixing anything and making sure we stayed afloat out there.” Raven explains thankful for Anya's listening ear. Usually if someone tried to distract her from solving a problem she would be annoyed but she sees that Anya is just trying to help her even if she doesn't understand half the things Raven tells her. “We were built to be a self sustaining community. We used every natural resource available to us for everything from water to power.”

Anya is about to ask another question when Raven jumps from the bed exclaiming. “Oh my god that's it! Water power!” Anya just looks up to the excited girl perplexed and is even more stunned when Raven grabs her by the shoulders and kisses her. “Thank you, thank you, you're the best. I need to find Sinclair.”

Raven is out the door before Anya can even fully comprehend what just happened.

* * *

“You're going to drive yourself mad looking at those maps.” Lexa whispers into Clarke's ear, wrapping her arms around her from behind.

Clarke has been bent over the map table furiously drawing something since she returned from the Ark. Lexa left her to it while she checked in on her people and got reports back from her scouts. She'd thought Clarke would have been done by the time she returned, but she's still in the same position she'd left her.

Clarke straightens out and leans back into Lexa, letting her embrace relax her. “I just need to figure out how to get our people out. I'm hoping the description of the inside that Wells gave me will help me find something.”

Lexa moves Clarke’s hair to one side and kisses up the column of her neck. “We will figure it out, but right now you need to rest. A tired mind is an unproductive one.”

Clarke turns in Lexa’s arms leaning in and kissing her slowly. They still had a while before the hunters would return with their catches for the evening feast. “I think a break may be in order.” she says pulling back with a sly smile, before going back in for another kiss.

Moving back to their private quarters the two take their time stripping each other of their clothes. The distractions of the last few weeks had kept them apart and the tension in the room is palpable.

Lexa lifts Clarke off the ground spinning her until her back hits the bed and hurriedly pulls the rest of Clarke's clothes off, kissing her way up her thighs slowly. It isn't how Lexa planned to take Clarke's mind off of things, but it's effective either way.

* * *

Clarke's body is humming blissfully as Lexa kisses her way back up her body. Clarke's practically melted into the bed running her fingers slowly through Lexa's hair, eager for her wife to come up and kiss her. She doesn't have to wait long for Lexa's lips to be on hers.

They break apart lying wrapped up in each other, content, warm and relaxed. “I think that is just what I needed” Clarke sighs happily snuggling into Lexa's embrace.

Lexa lets out a light laugh and kisses her wife's cheek. “It is my duty to satisfy your every need.”

Clarke snorts out a laugh at her response. “You're ridiculous.”

Lexa is about to respond when the pair hear a commotion outside the tent. A sharp reminder that peace is a luxury in the world they live in. “Maybe if we ignore it, they'll work it out.” Clarke suggests pulling the fur blanket over their heads.

As if she'd set out a challenge the noise from outside gets louder and Raven can be heard shouting. “I need to talk to them, we can do this the easy way and let me through or the hard way and I blow my way through.” She threatens. “What are they naked in there? It's nothing I haven't seen before.” She continues berating the guards at the entrance of the tent.

Upon hearing the words Clarke and Lexa both make their way out of their bed and start putting their clothing on. Raven sounds determined and Clarke knows Raven will find a way into the tent by any means necessary. She might be small compared to their guards but she's managed to earn their respect through her association with Anya and word of her ability to create explosives. Just as they've gotten themselves decent Raven followed closely by three guards bursts into the tent.

The three big men all start rushing out apologies for the disturbance, before Lexa silences them with a raise of her hand. “Leave us.” She orders and the two sentries return to their post outside the tent, while the other stands to the left of Raven.

“Raven what's going on?” Clarke asks her visibly displeased friend.

“That's what I would like to know.” Raven huffs arms crossed over her chest. “I just had an amazing discovery and after discussing its feasibility with Sinclair and how to use it to our advantage, I get back to my lab, Anya is nowhere to be found and this dude,” she points to the tall man beside her, “says he's my new guard. What's going on why did you replace Anya?”

“I did not remove her from her duty as your guard.” Lexa states simply. Confused herself as to the situation. “Rohath?” She questions the young guard.

“Heda,” the guard bows his head respectfully at being addressed. “Onya came to me in the training field and told me, I was to stay with Reivon and keep her safe.”

“Is she still there?” Lexa asks again, finding it strange that Anya would make such a rash decision. She needs to speak to her friend and figure out what's happening.

“The last I saw, yes Heda.” The boy answers.

“Thank you Rohath. I will go speak to her.” Lexa tells them before taking her sword and leaving the tent.

* * *

“Okay so while she's looking for Anya, why don't you sit down and explain to me what you may have done to piss her off?” Clarke asks, pulling a chair out for her friend.

“What makes you think I pissed her off?” Raven plops into the chair. “We were fine when I left this morning. We were discussing the mountain’s possible weapons and life support systems…”

“You were talking and she was listening.” Clarke cuts in amused.

Raven waves a dismissive hand as she continues. “She asked questions, very poignant ones, that got me to an answer quicker than I'd expected, I was so excited that I had to go to Sinclair and see if it was feasible, but before I left I… oh my God.”

“Raven this isn't time for one of your mid conversation discoveries as much fun as those are at times.” Clarke says as her friend loses herself mid sentence with a far off look on her face.

“I kissed her!” Raven exclaims putting her hand over her mouth.

“Who? Anya? You kissed Anya?” Clarke tries hiding the shock from her voice. “And she let you?”

“I mean, I sort of sneak attacked her and then ran out. I didn't even think of it consciously, it just happened.” Raven answers distractedly.

Silence befalls the room as the two women take a minute to process Raven’s revelation. On the one hand Clarke is happy for her friend, who might be getting over Finn and moving on to someone who will appreciate her, but on the other hand she knows Anya is very much set in the ways of Heda’s guard. A system enacted by Titus, that doesn't explicitly ban one from being in a relationship, but strongly discourages romantic entanglements. Clarke still remembers him trying to use that against her during her training with him and the blow ups that ensued between them for it.

“What should I do Clarke?” Raven asks her friend, knocking her back to their conversation.

“Anya might just need time to think and process, I don't believe she's ever been in a situation like this before and for once she doesn't know what to do, so it may be throwing her off.” Clarke answers thoughtfully.

Raven doesn't like the answer, but things work different on the ground and she's willing to take Clarke's advice, after all she knows Anya better at this point. It doesn't however negate that she's still upset with the woman for running off and sticking her with a different guard without explanation.

“Guess that means you're stuck with me.” Raven turns her head and says to Rohath, who only nods in return. “He does speak more than a few words right?” She turns back to Clarke who shrugs.

“This is the most I've ever heard him speak.” She answers honestly and laughs as Raven groans in annoyance. “At least he'll make a great sounding board?”

“I prefer the one that talks back.” Raven sighs.

“Just give her some time,” Clarke gives her a pat on the knee.

* * *

The loud cheering of her mentor’s name coming from the makeshift training area lets Lexa know she was going in the right direction. Just as she clears the trees one of Anya's two opponents drops to the ground while the other tries to run at her with his sword. Anya easily deflects him and knocks him over the head brutally and watches him fall to the ground next to his companion.

“Who's next?” Anya calls into the rowdy crowd. Lexa smirks when they all fall silent, looking at each other before she steps forward.

“It seems you are in need of a challenge.” Lexa answers casually as she makes her way into the circle. The murmurs of the warriors around them start to kick up again. Lexa and Anya train together often, but usually in a more private setting. The promised display will be a treat for them.

“It will be my honor Heda.” Anya bows respectfully, her own sword in hand. Lexa smirks and raises her blade. The two are evenly matched although Lexa is more agile, to Anya's tactical style of fighting. Even though Lexa has trained under Anya every match they've ever had she's learned that her Fos has more up her sleeve than she lets on. Adapting to her opponent and using it to control the pace of the fight.

The match starts as they usually do with the two of them circling each other both waiting for the right moment to strike. “Why did you assign Rohath to guard Raven?” Lexa asks as she gets closer.

Anya launches towards Lexa and their swords clash. “Is this your new strategy to try and defeat me? There is no talking in battle.” She answers swinging her second sword forward. Lexa barely manages to evade the blow.

Taking advantage of having Anya off balance Lexa launches her own counterstrike. Anya just manages to catch Lexa's sword before it bares down on her. She pushes back and then kicks Lexa's knee, causing her to buckle. Undeterred Lexa uses her momentum to roll away and get back to her feet.

The two launch into a series of attacks and parries, the crowd is cheering loudly behind them clearly entertained. “It is not like you to abandon your charge.” Lexa grunts out between attacks.

Her words seem to be fueling on Anya who throws a rapid fire combination of kicks and sword thrusts her way. “I did not abandon my charge, I simply did what was best for her. She is a distraction to me and distractions cause mistakes.”

Lexa takes a few hits but remains on her feet ducking away from the more serious blows. Stepping away from each other for a moment Lexa sees Clarke and Raven making their way through the crowd. Slowly she starts circling Anya, throwing in a few fades to keep her opponent alert. Biding her time she waits until Anya's eyes shift away from her for a moment and she knows her mentor has spotted Raven then she attacks taking Anya to ground.

Anya struggles but Lexa's using one of her own hold against her. “Do not be afraid to feel, I have an entire army to protect me. It is okay to protect her.” Lexa tells her before standing up and helping her to her feet.

“Sha Heda.” Anya bows her head respectfully.

Lexa clasps arms with her, the traditional sign of an ending to a good match. “I say this not as your Heda, but as your friend.”

The two break apart and Anya simply nods with a barely there smile to acknowledge Lexa's words.

“Back to training.” Anya calls out to those remaining in the field and they all pick up theirs weapons and go back to their own work. Anya looks back to where Clarke and Raven were standing in the crowd to see them approaching. Raven looking particularly displeased. In that moment she would rather face a horde of Reapers than the ire of the skygirl she's developed feelings for.

Luckily Lexa intervenes just as Clarke and Raven get near them and suggests they go back to her tent in order to discuss what Raven had figured out. They all agree and make their way back in silence to the Commander’s tent.

* * *

If Clarke thought the tension in the tent between her and Lexa was intense, it is even more so now with the inclusion of a still upset Raven and a rather shaken Anya. It's a situation she never thought she'd be in and she's mildly amused by the whole thing.

“How about before we discuss any plans of action we let the two of you talk this out?” Clarke suggests.

Lexa agrees from where she's sitting on her throne. Clarke turns to her and gives her a look. “Lexa maybe we should give them a moment?”

Lexa quirks her brow at her wife. “This is my tent Clarke, if Anya and Raven wish to discuss this privately they can go to Anya’s tent.”

Clarke shoots her wife a look. “Lexa, they're already in here, once they're done we'll come back and go over our next steps.”

“This is not the appropriate time Clarke. We are about to go to war.”

“And we both need our generals at their best.” Clarke cuts in. “Let them talk so they will both be focused on the mission at hand, instead of distracted in battle. Once they're done we'll discuss Raven’s discovery.”

Lexa looks over to Anya who gives her a barely there nod before she stands from her seat, relenting to her wife's logic. She makes her way to Clarke, but before they exit she turns back to Raven and Anya. “I expect everything will remain in its proper place when we return.”

“Why are you looking at me?” Raven asks offended by the implications.

“Just let us know when you're done.” Clarke answers pulling Lexa out with her.

* * *

“So now are you gonna tell me why you just up and left me alone without an explanation?” Raven attacks as soon the other two have cleared the threshold of the tent.

“I did not leave you alone, I assigned Rohath to watch you.” Anya defends.

“Semantics.” Raven huffs out and ignores how cute she thinks Anya’s confused face is. “In the short time I've been here I've seen what this place does to people and I can't begin to imagine what or better who you've lost in your life.”

Her words seem to have struck a chord with Anya as her shoulders slump slightly and her brow crinkles in thought. Raven can sense she wants to talk about it, but may need more prodding. She walks up to Anya putting her hand on her shoulder.

“You can talk to me Anya, I've lost too much to this place already and I don't want to lose you too.” it's a rare moment for the usually reserved mechanic, but it seems to be what finally pulls Anya from her shell.

“Lexa was my seken, it was my duty to protect her.” Anya starts off slowly, her words measured. “She fell in love with Costia and I swore to myself I would protect her too in order to keep Lexa safe.”

She pauses for a moment and the silence fills the space between them, Raven can see the minute changes in her face as she considers her next words. “Titus was outraged at her affections, especially after he'd spent so much time hammering on that love is weakness and it could get them killed. Once Lexa had ascended he'd tried to convince her to end things with Costia, but she refused. Always so stubborn.”

Raven watches on as Anya paces for a few seconds, grip firm on the handle of one of her many swords. Although she hasn't said it yet, Raven knows this story is about to take a turn for the worse, she's about to tell Anya she doesn't have to carry on, but the words are out of Anya's mouth before Raven can say anything.

“Almost as if needing to prove him right, Azgeda kidnapped and murdered her because she was Lexa's.” she sighs out and Raven can see the pain clearly written on Anya’s usually stoic face. “They sent back her head in a box and we both mourned for her. Azgeda believed this would destroy the Coalition and prove Lexa to be a weak Heda. Lexa chose her duty over her emotions, she didn't seek retribution but instead allowed them to join her Coalition and I must do the same, I cannot be distracted from my duty again. Lexa is the Coalition, but more importantly she is my only family and I cannot lose her, not again.”

Raven swiftly moves from her spot and stands in front of Anya, reaching out cautiously to grasp her hands. The small affection is something foreign to the both of them, but Raven persists because she needs Anya to really hear her next words.

“There was a time when I would be the first person to agree with you that love is weakness, but honestly if it wasn't for love I wouldn't be here.” Raven’s heart tightens a bit at the thought of the boy Finn used to be, a part of her mourns the loss of his kindness. “But love is also what gives you strength to carry on when you feel all hope may be lost, this thing between us is just starting and I'll be damned if I get killed before I get you out of that armor.”

Anya laughs taken aback by Raven’s words. “I will hold you to that.”

“You can hold me against anything you like.” Raven winks before moving to the entrance of the tent and letting the guards know to call Lexa and Clarke back in. Anya takes the time to regain her composure.

* * *

“Okay so we aren't one hundred percent sure, but based on the specs from the Ark and what we do know about Mount weather, it's safe to assume that their main power source or sources are of the natural kind.” Raven says once everyone is back in the tent and sitting around the table.

“Like wind and solar?” Clarke asks.

“Yes, we thought that too, but considering how much power needs they'd require something more constant, like a river or something, using turbines to harness that energy and convert it.” Raven muses. “If we could go out and scout the area around the mountain I'm sure we could find the location of the turbines.

“That won't be necessary.” Lexa cuts in, causing both Clarke and Raven to look over at her. “There is a waterfall that feeds into a river near their location.”

“A waterfall of course, that amount of constantly rushing force would be able to keep the lights on.” Raven perks up excitedly. “If anything the turbines would be there somewhere.”

“How are we supposed to use this to our advantage? We can't exactly turn them off from the outside.” Clarke chimes in.

“We can't stop the water, but we could disable to the turbines and cut their power.” Raven counters. “We’ll need Wells to do some scouting and find out what sort of redundancies they have, but this could be our way into the Mountain.”

“Try and see if you can contact him Rae, once we know what we may be up against we can inform the Coalition.” Clarke says hope rising in her. “We can get our people back.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> five chapters have already been written and are available on fanfiction, I will also be posting them on here as well.
> 
> feel free to follow me on tumblr : chuckleshan.tumblr.com


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